Shaftesbury Primary School

Age group 3–11 Inspection date(s) 23–24 January 2012 Inspection number 376759 Shaftesbury Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 102744 Local authority Newham Inspection number 376759 Inspection dates 23–24 January 2012 Lead inspector John Anthony

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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 630 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair David Graves Headteacher Geoff Hadlow Date of previous school inspection 14–15 May 2009 School address Shaftesbury Road Forest Gate London London E7 8PF Telephone number 020 8472 0761 Fax number 020 8503 4965 Email address info@shaftesbury.newham.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 in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. The inspection team observed 28 lessons taught by 22 teachers. They held meetings with representatives of the governing body, staff and groups of pupils, and met informally with parents and carers. Inspectors took account of the responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection, observed the school’s work, and looked at strategic and curriculum planning, records of pupils’ progress, school documentation and monitoring records of teaching and learning. Inspectors analysed 185 parents’ and carers’ questionnaire returns, as well as 40 from staff and 262 from pupils.

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Information about the school

The school is larger than other primary schools and serves a culturally diverse area. Over nine out of ten pupils are from minority ethnic heritages and have English as an additional language. Over half of all pupils are known to be eligible for free school meals. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs is below the national average and includes pupils with speech, language and communication difficulties as well as moderate and severe learning difficulties, and some who have emotional and behavioral difficulties. No pupils have statements of special educational needs. The school experiences very high levels of pupil mobility, with pupils joining and leaving the school throughout the school year. The Early Years Foundation Stage consists of one morning and afternoon class in the Nursery and three classes in Reception Year.

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Information about the school

The school holds the Activemark and the Healthy School Award. It does not meet the current floor standard. There is an on-site breakfast club managed by the governing body. 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 satisfactory school. Staff are highly motivated and share a common ambition with leaders and the governing body to provide the best for the children in their care. The strong trend of continuous improvement historically owes much to the drive of the headteacher, but leadership capacity is now increasing rapidly.  Pupils in all groups make satisfactory progress from levels of attainment which are typically very low on entry to the school. The rate of progress has improved recently due to better teaching methods and more effective and directed use of interventions. However, standards in mathematics and English remain low.  There are no significant or consistent disparities in the achievements of any groups of pupils. The school provides good support for all pupils, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs.  The school is developing sophisticated assessment measures to ensure that

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Key findings

provision for pupils who join the school other than at usual times improves further. However, current systems for tracking pupils’ progress do not always help staff to set challenging targets for individuals.  Behaviour and safety have improved steadily since the previous inspection when these aspects were judged to be satisfactory. The behaviour of the vast majority of pupils is now good. Pupils enjoy school and very good relationships exist between adults and pupils.  The school is well resourced and there has been significant investment in improving the site and buildings.  The proportion of good teaching has risen steadily since the last inspection, although there are still inconsistencies in the level of challenge provided for pupils of different abilities. Marking and assessment are thorough and helping to improve pupils’ learning.  Parents, carers and pupils identify many improvements in the school over recent

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Key findings

years and are pleased with the caring attitude of staff and leaders. Leaders have tackled the issues from the previous inspection well.

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Key findings

Schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory may receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection. 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 in English and mathematics by ensuring that teachers:  raise their expectations and pitch their teaching to provide greater challenge for pupils of different abilities  accelerate pupils’ progress and learning by systematically checking that all pupils fully understand what they are being tasked to do during lessons  encourage pupils to take more of a lead in their own learning so that they practise their communication skills, initiate more ideas themselves and learn more independently.  Refine the systems for tracking pupil progress so that these provide clear expectations of all pupils, and help staff to set challenging targets for individuals, in particular, for those pupils who enter the school at times other than at the start of the school year.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory overall, although, by comparison with national standards, their attainment is low. Pupils’ learning and progress, as reflected in school tracking data, in their written work, and as seen during lessons, are improving, and most parents and carers agree. Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make progress in line with similar groups of pupils nationally.

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Achievement of pupils

Children enter the Nursery with skill levels that are generally well below those expected for their age. They make satisfactory progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage so that, although they have improved in some areas of their learning and skills, for example in their personal, social and emotional development, their attainment is still generally below that expected for their age by the time they enter Year 1. The reading levels of pupils currently in Year 1 are below those expected for their age, but improving. Year 6 pupils’ reading skills are less well developed than the expected standards for their stage of learning, but, again, inspection evidence shows that this is an improving area.

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Achievement of pupils

Although attainment showed signs of improvement in 2010, performance at the end of Year 6 in 2011 dipped by comparison with the previous year’s upward trend. This is attributable to a number of factors which indicate that the dip is not typical of pupils’ usual attainment across the school. Numbers of pupils on the school roll fluctuate constantly and, in addition, a considerable proportion of pupils enter the school with little or no understanding of English. This helps to explain why attainment in English has been lower than that in mathematics, although the gap is narrowing. This was evident in a Year 4 lesson, when pupils were writing a newspaper article about aspects of the story ‘The Lion, the Witch, and 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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Achievement of pupils

Wardrobe’. Pupils learned well because they used their own initiatives, knew exactly what was required, and, through their enjoyment of writing, were making good progress in a variety of aspects of English, some demonstrating a good level of attainment. These positive features of learning are becoming increasingly widespread throughout the school.

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Achievement of pupils

There is, therefore, convincing evidence that the attainment of pupils in all year groups is improving. More rigorous assessment processes have been put in place, and improved planning ensures that teaching methods are aligned more closely to pupils’ needs. The rate of progress for pupils in the current Year 6 is in line with national expectations and they are expected to reach their predicted levels, ensuring that they have the necessary skills for continuing their education at secondary level.

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Quality of teaching

Since the last inspection, the school has made a determined drive to improve the quality of teaching, with notable success. During the inspection, the majority of teaching seen in lessons was good or better, although best practice is not yet sufficiently widespread and inconsistencies remain. All the teachers spoken to feel that their teaching is improving and they all have a shared sense that this is a key feature in the improving picture of attainment and progress that is evident throughout the school. In one outstanding Year 3 science lesson, where pupils were learning to record their observations of shadows, the exceptionally good use of interactive technology, challenging questioning and generating of excitement in learning led to pupils achieving well. As a team, pupils celebrated their success and were amazed at what they were able to achieve through focused investigation and experimentation. A good Year 2 lesson promoted pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and

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Quality of teaching

cultural maturity, which was evident in their interested and responsive attitudes.

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Quality of teaching

Teachers’ assessments of pupils’ learning have become more rigorous and are increasingly comparing pupils’ attainment levels to national expectations. Teachers’ expectations of their pupils are usually based on careful scrutiny of pupils’ work, which in turn provides them with the information to provide detailed guidance through marking. Because checking of work and progress is, in the main, carried out scrupulously and the guidance is well-founded, most pupils understand what they have to do to improve and respond accordingly. This strategy is clearly having an impact on driving up attainment and accelerating pupils’ learning. Nevertheless, the impact of improvements to provision is not yet fully evident in terms of outcomes for pupils.

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Quality of teaching

Less successful teaching occurs usually when teachers spend too much time instructing rather than enabling the pupils to contribute more and, therefore, experience the exhilaration that comes as their own learning and understanding unfolds. In such lessons, opportunities are missed for pupils to practise communication skills. In some lessons that were observed, tasks were not sufficiently challenging so that pupils became distracted and listless and did not progress as quickly as they should have done. This was also evident when teachers did not 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

question sufficiently to pick up any misconceptions and to ensure that all pupils understood the next stage of learning fully. This, in turn, led at times to loss of pace when pupils asked the teacher or their peers to explain to them further what they had to do. However, the individual needs of pupils are usually met and the dialogue with adults is generally positive and encouraging. Relationships between teachers and pupils are very good. As one pupil said, ‘The teachers are nice, they listen to us and explain. The lessons are interesting.’ The very large majority of parents and carers informed inspectors that they feel that their children are taught well.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Senior leaders at the school have led a concerted campaign to improve standards of behaviour to enable all pupils to benefit from their education. Most parents, carers and pupils think that behaviour is good and a very large majority of staff think that they manage behaviour well. This was corroborated throughout the inspection, during which pupils’ behaviour was seen to be generally at least good and at times exemplary. Pupils were courteous and friendly to staff and to each other and made the inspection team very welcome. They held doors open for people following behind, waited patiently when required, and at times shook inspectors’ hands and asked them if they liked their school, of which they all appeared to be very proud. The overall impression gained was that of a safe and secure environment and no inappropriate behaviour was seen. On the contrary, pupils cooperated well with each other and were kind and considerate during lessons. They helped each other when in

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

difficulty and, although energetic at break times, did not play roughly and took care to ensure that they lined up when asked to return in good time for their next lesson. They paid attention in class, carried out tasks diligently and shared a natural enthusiasm to learn. This demonstrated strengths in their social, moral and spiritual development, supported well by pupils’ ready acceptance of the variety of cultural heritages from which many of them come.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

A very large majority of parents’ and carers’ inspection questionnaire responses reflected the view that their children are safe. All of the staff agree and most pupils have stated that they feel safe. When interviewed, some pupils expressed concerns related to rare occasions of fighting, but felt safe because such incidents are managed well by staff. Pupils are very aware of what constitutes bullying, including that based on gender and cultural differences, but state that there is ‘not that much’ bullying at the school. On the infrequent occasions that it does occur, it relates mainly to name calling and boisterousness and is dealt with swiftly and effectively. The school’s data indicate that pupils’ attendance is in line with national averages. Pupils show a responsible attitude towards their education by being punctual on arrival at school and when moving between lessons.

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Leadership and management

Although many aspects of leadership and management are strong and some excellent work is being carried out to improve teaching, behaviour and pupil attainment, much has relied on the considerable energy of the headteacher. 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

Leadership has more recently been bolstered by the recruitment of an experienced school improvement leader as deputy headteacher. A concerted focus on accelerating the learning of pupils, most evidently in reading, writing and communication skills, is beginning to show effect. Systems for tracking pupils’ progress are adequate, but do not consistently enable staff to set challenging targets for pupils. The broader senior and middle management team shares a common vision and commitment for improvement and its members are optimistic that the school is moving in the right direction. They are supported by a governing body that is strengthened through its composition of many representatives of the local community and which is increasingly offering a more challenging oversight. The Early Years Foundation Stage leadership has addressed the issues raised in the last inspection, although there remains a need to challenge more able pupils. The

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Leadership and management

school’s analysis of the quality of teaching and learning is accurate. Teachers explain that their professional development is well coordinated and provides them with the guidance that they need to improve.

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Leadership and management

The curriculum is generally matched well to pupils’ needs, interests and aspirations, promotes their social, moral, spiritual and cultural development strongly and provides adequate preparation for the next stage of their lives. The school has fostered a good range of partnerships with support agencies and enjoys a good relationship with parents and carers, reaching out through workshops, meetings and social events. In this highly inclusive school, everyone is treated equally, regardless of their ability or cultural or social background. Hardly any parents and carers expressed the view that they felt marginalised on grounds of ethnic heritage and there was no supporting evidence of any discrimination. Capacity to improve is clearly evident in the improvements described above.

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Leadership and management

The governing body manages a daily breakfast club to support pupils and enable their families to bring the children to school early. It takes place in the school hall, where sufficient adults are in attendance to provide good care. Pupils enjoy the breakfast provided and the opportunities to play or talk in a calm and safe place. Safeguarding throughout the school meets statutory requirements. 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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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 abou t 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. 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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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. 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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carers to share with their children. It describes Ofsted’s

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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Inspection of Shaftesbury Primary School, London, E7 8PF

Thank you very much for welcoming my colleagues and me to your school. On behalf of the team, I would like to thank those of you who met with us to tell us all about the many interesting things that you do. Your school is providing you with a satisfactory education. These are some of the things that stand out.

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Inspection of Shaftesbury Primary School, London, E7 8PF

 You are responsible and are friendly and kind to each other.  You work hard, are attentive and are making satisfactory progress in your lessons.  Your behaviour has improved and nearly all of you behave well. The few pupils who have difficulty behaving are supported well by adults.  You tell us that you feel safe in the school and, if any bullying occurs, it is dealt with very quickly.  All those who lead and manage your school work hard to give you the best possible education and look after you very well.

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Inspection of Shaftesbury Primary School, London, E7 8PF

We have asked your headteacher, staff and members of the governing body to do the following to make it even better:  provide you with activities in lessons that match your individual strengths so that you all do as well as you possibly can  track your progress carefully so that they can set challenging targets for you.

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Inspection of Shaftesbury Primary School, London, E7 8PF

Again, thank you for your kind welcome, and for your friendly and very interesting conversations with us.

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Inspection of Shaftesbury Primary School, London, E7 8PF

John Anthony Lead inspector 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 of Shaftesbury Primary School, London, E7 8PF

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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