Manford Primary School

Age group 3–11 Inspection date(s) 28–29 June 2012 Inspection number 395770 Manford Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 102795 Local authority Redbridge Inspection number 395770 Inspection dates 28–29 June 2012 Lead inspector John Worgan

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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 540 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Peter Ashby Headteacher Tina Jacobs Date of previous school inspection 3 July 2009 School address Manford Way Chigwell Essex IG7 4BX Telephone number 020 85002143 Fax number 020 85015532 Email address office@manfordprimary.redbridge.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 trainin g, 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. Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 23 lessons or parts of lessons, taught by 20 teachers. They also observed a range of intervention and phonics (the sounds that letters make) sessions, listened to pupils reading and looked at their work. Discussions were held with groups of pupils, parents and carers, staff and members of the governing body. Inspectors observed the school’s work, and looked at a range of documentation including the school’s self-evaluation documents and action plan, pupils’ progress records and safeguarding procedures. Questionnaires returned by 166 parents and carers were received and analysed, along with those from pupils and staff.

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Information about the school

This is a much larger than the average-sized primary school. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs, is above average. A higher proportion of pupils than in most schools are known to be entitled to free school meals. The percentages of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and those who speak English as an additional language are well above the national average. A significant proportion of pupils leave or join the school at different times in the year. In recent years, in response to local need, the school has taken on a number of extra children, accommodated in ‘bulge’ classes. The Early Years Foundation Stage consists of a morning and afternoon Nursery class and two Reception classes. A breakfast club is managed by the governing body. The school meets the government’s current

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Information about the school

floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ 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

 Manford is a good school where pupils achieve well. It is a diverse community, where pupils from a wide range of cultures enjoy learning. It is not yet an outstanding school because opportunities are sometimes missed in lessons to get pupils learning actively, a few lessons do not provide able pupils with consistent challenge, and pupils do not always get focused feedback during the lesson.

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Key findings

 Achievement is good and improving. Pupils make good progress from starting points well below those expected. The progress of the current Year 6 is better than last year, when performance dipped. In the Early Years Foundation Stage, children make particularly good progress in their personal development.

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Key findings

 Teaching is good. Teachers focus effectively on basic skills and teach reading well. Some lessons are outstanding, but a few remain satisfactory with limited discussion or problem solving by pupils. Nevertheless, strategies to improve teaching have raised performance and have had a significant impact on learning.

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Key findings

 Behaviour and safety are good. Pupils respect each other and adults. Bullying of any kind is rare and is dealt with effectively when it occurs. Pupils have positive attitudes towards learning. Behaviour seen in lessons and around the school was of a high standard and school logs show that this is typical. Support for pupils, especially those with emotional and behavioural difficulties, is good, enabling them to focus on their learning.

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Key findings

 Leadership and management are good. Senior leaders are now taking responsibility for different phases of pupils’ education and this is having a significant influence on improving pupils’ progress. The curriculum provides a good quality experience through the formal element and through a wide range of extension and enrichment activities. Leaders and managers are clear about what needs to improve and plan well to ensure that it does. 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?

 Improve the quality of teaching by ensuring that:  pupils are actively involved in their learning, developing independence and problem-solving skills or learning through discussion  able pupils are consistently challenged by their work  pupils are given verbal feedback during lessons to help them improve their work.

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Achievement of pupils

Children enter the school with knowledge and skills well below those expected for their ages. In the Early Years Foundation Stage, careful tracking and assessment of needs ensures that they make good progress. Adults support the children effectively, and this results in them being attentive, enthusiastic and learning well. Children cooperate well and behaviour is good .

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Achievement of pupils

In 2011 in the national tests for Year 6, attainment dipped below the standards of previous years. In the current Year 6 there has been significant improvement in both English and mathematics, and attainment is broadly average. Improving pupils’ writing has been a focus during the last year and inspectors were impressed by the standard of writing, especially by younger pupils. In an outstanding lesson, Year 1 pupils were working in groups, producing extended stories that were coherent, legible and mostly spelt correctly.

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Achievement of pupils

Attainment in reading at Key Stage 1 has been low in the past but is improving. School data show that pupils’ reading levels are close to the national average at the end of Year 2 and when they leave the school. Pupils read confidently and fluently to inspectors and effective, targeted support enables weaker readers to improve rapidly.

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Achievement of pupils

In the good and outstanding lessons seen, pupils of all abilities learned rapidly because they were challenged and inspired by tasks that were adapted to their needs and abilities. In lessons that were less effective, the learning of the more-able pupils slowed because these pupils completed work that was similar to the rest of the class first and did not move on quickly to using higher-level skills, even though this work was sometimes planned.

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Achievement of pupils

Due to well-planned support and carefully targeted interventions, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are learning well and making comparable progress to other pupils in the school. Parents and carers who responded to the questionnaire commented that they were pleased with their children’s good progress and their desire to learn. 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

Parents and carers say they feel their children are well taught at the school. As one parent said: ‘Teachers and support staff have helped my daughter to be what she is today, very confident, well mannered and positive towards her learning.’ In many lessons, teachers’ modelling of good practice and focus on basic skills promotes learning well. Reading is well taught. In a guided reading session in Year 1, pupils read expressively, recognising and using punctuation well.

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Quality of teaching

In the best lessons, pupils work together successfully in pairs and groups and they are actively involved in learning. For example, in a lower ability Year 5 mathematics lesson pupils confidently took on the role of the teacher, demonstrating to the class how to calculate time using a number line, with the rest of the class listening well and asking pertinent questions. In the lessons that are satisfactory rather than better, pupils are given less time to learn actively, for example through discussion, and verbal feedback is not always given to enable pupils to correct errors. Opportunities for pupils to develop independence and problem-solving skills are limited in these lessons.

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Quality of teaching

Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are well taught and are consequently making good progress. The system of setting across year groups and the carefully targeted work within classes enable their needs to be catered for well. These pupils are now making similar progress to their peers nationally and the gap between their progress and that of other pupils in the school has narrowed in the last two years. Support from teaching assistants is of high quality because they are involved in planning lessons and they usually encourage pupils’ independence in their learning. They make sessions interesting. For example, in a good intervention session, pupils in a small group showed enthusiasm and used a thesaurus to find alternative ‘better’ words. They then went on to read a letter about lost luggage at an airport and to use their imagination to describe passengers from their lost items.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Manford Primary School is a well-ordered community where good behaviour and the high quality of pastoral care and support help pupils develop good personal skills. This leads to good attitudes to learning. Pupils from a very wide variety of backgrounds and cultures work and play together well. Those who join the school part way through the primary years are welcomed and supported to settle in well. In the majority of lessons inspectors saw good behaviour with very occasional exceptions only when teaching was less inspiring. Discussions with pupils and the school’s behaviour records show that this is typical. In their questionnaires pupils said that there are few lessons which are interrupted by poor behaviour. They are confident that any incidents of inappropriate behaviour are dealt with promptly and well.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

The school has worked hard to provide a varied and well-equipped outside play area 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

and pupils appreciate this and use equipment sensible and cooperatively. Parents and carers who responded to the questionnaires agree that the school keeps their children safe and that behaviour is good. As one parent said: ‘My son loves coming to school and is making fantastic progress. He is very well cared for and has benefited from the firm boundaries for behaviour.’ In their questionnaires and in discussions pupils too said they feel safe. They said that there were clear rules which were applied fairly and that staff are sympathetic and supportive when they have problems. Bullying is rare and confined to name-calling, which pupils report is dealt with quickly and effectively. Pupils are aware of different types of bullying including cyber bullying.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Attendance in the past has been low but is improving and is close to the national average. The school has appointed a full-time pastoral support adviser whose work has had a significant impact in improving the attendance of pupils with poor attendance records and in supporting pupils whose circumstances may make them vulnerable. The breakfast club provides a secure and stimulating start to the day for pupils who attend.

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Leadership and management

The good leadership is recognised by staff, pupils and parents and carers as a key factor in the success of the school. One parent said: ‘The headteacher is very approachable and warm and welcoming’, and another stated ‘Manford provides an outstanding learning environment’. The headteacher’s purposeful approach encourages high aspirations in pupils and staff.

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Leadership and management

The school is demonstrating the capacity to improve. The recent dip in performance was analysed thoroughly, causes identified and priorities, including management responsibilities, re-focused. This, coupled with careful pupil tracking and thorough monitoring of teaching and learning, has produced a significant improvement in pupils’ progress. Professional development, focusing on developing pupils’ basic skills, is having a clear impact on the quality of teaching. Performance management is robust, yet supportive. The quality of support for newly qualified teachers is outstanding, with a well-planned induction programme, weekly support meetings and appropriate out-of-school courses supported by high quality mentoring by senior staff.

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Leadership and management

Governance overall is strong with a supportive governing body which challenges and monitors school effectiveness well, even though some vacancies have been hard to fill. The school is making effective use of the pupil premium to support pupils whose circumstances might make them vulnerable and promotes equal opportunities effectively. Arrangements for safeguarding pupils are robust. Policies and procedures meet requirements and are well understood by staff and pupils. School leaders are effective in ensuring there is no discrimination.

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Leadership and management

The curriculum is broad and balanced and is enhanced by a wide range of extra- curricular activities. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, cultural and social development is 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

promoted well. This was illustrated during the inspection by excellent assemblies in which pupils participated, including one on bullying which engaged pupils through case histories and a video, culminating in a song celebrating friendship, which pupils sang with enthusiasm and feeling.

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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 Manford Primary School, Chigwell, IG7 4BX

Thank you very much for the warm welcome when we visited your school. You are friendly and well mannered and we appreciated the way you helped us find out about your school through questionnaires and through talking to us. We think Manford is a good school.

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Inspection of Manford Primary School, Chigwell, IG7 4BX

These are some of the things that stood out about your school.  You and your teachers have worked hard and your progress is improving.  The staff care for you very well and support and help you sympathetically when you have difficulties.  You obviously enjoy learning and behave well. We were particularly impressed by the way in which some of you spoke and demonstrated your skills in lessons and in assemblies.

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Inspection of Manford Primary School, Chigwell, IG7 4BX

The headteacher and staff want your school to be even better. To help, we have asked them to make sure that:  you do lots of active learning in lessons, for example solving problems or talking things through with a partner  the work is always hard enough for those of you that learn quickly  teachers tell you during the lesson how to improve your work.

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Inspection of Manford Primary School, Chigwell, IG7 4BX

You can help the school improve by always working hard and doing your best, and by telling your teacher if you are finding the work too easy.

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Inspection of Manford Primary School, Chigwell, IG7 4BX

John Worgan 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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