South Park Primary School

South Park Primary School Water Lane, Ilford, IG3 9HF

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 There is not enough consistently good teaching to ensure that the majority of pupils make good progress across all year groups.  In Years 1 pupils’ attainment remains below average and in Year 2 pupils of higher ability do not make enough progress in writing and mathematics.  Some activities given to pupils in whole class lessons are too hard or too easy – this means that pupils do not always achieve as much as they could.  Staff do not always realise quickly enough when pupils find activities too difficult or misunderstand tasks – so they do not immediately change what the pupils are doing or provide additional support quickly enough.

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The school has the following strengths

 This is an improving school; the headteacher provides strong and determined leadership and together with other leaders and managers has correctly identified the areas which require improvement.  There has been an improvement in Year 6 attainment this year and there are signs that underachievement in most year groups and levels of attainment are rising.  Standards in reading have improved significantly across the school. Children in the Nursery and Reception classes make good progress in all areas of learning because teaching is good and they have a wide range of opportunities to develop their skills.  Pupils enjoy school, behave well and as a result of good quality care they feel very safe.  Attendance has improved significantly since the last inspection.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 33 lessons, of which four were joint observations with senior leaders. In addition, the inspection team made a number of short visits to other lessons.  The 33 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) and the one letter received during the inspection were taken into account.  Meetings were held with the headteacher and senior and middle managers, the chair and vice chair of the governing body and a representative from the Local Authority. The inspection team took account of the 24 questionnaires received from the staff of the school.  Inspectors observed the school’s work, and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s own data on recent and current progress, planning and monitoring information, records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding, and minutes of recent meetings of the governing body.  Inspectors observed play and lunch times and spoke with a good number of pupils about safety

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Information about this inspection

over time. They held more formal meetings with two groups of pupils and listened to pupils read.

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Inspection team

Barbara Firth, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Kewal Goel Additional Inspector Jim McVeigh Additional Inspector Kate Robertson Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic heritages is above average with the largest group represented being of Asian heritage. The large majority of pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils supported by school action and school action plus is above average and the proportion of pupils with a statement of special educational needs is in line with similar schools nationally.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is 22% and just above that of similar schools nationally.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which sets the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is consistently good or better by ensuring that:  teachers plan lessons that are tailored to meet the different abilities of all pupils and especially of the more able  explanations are short and precise and that there is a brisk pace in the lessons  teachers monitor pupils’ progress closely during lessons to ensure any misconceptions are addressed or plans modified so that all pupils are challenged throughout lessons  all adults in lessons make a full contribution to pupils’ learning  pupils are not over reliant on the teacher and are given opportunities to apply their learning, and solve problems independently.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Accelerate pupils’ achievement, to be at least good, by raising attainment of all pupils and especially that of the higher ability in Key Stage 1 in writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In the Nursery, most children start with skills and aptitudes lower than those typically found for their age in all areas of learning. Provision has improved in recent years and they now make good progress particularly in their personal, social and emotional development and developing their communication skills. The excellent relationships within the classes and the good relationships with parents ensure that children settle happily to class routines and make friends quickly.  Children continue to make good progress with their language and communication skills in Reception and enter Year 1 with skills broadly in line with the national average.  In national assessments at the end of Year 2 in 2011, standards in all subjects were well below the national average. Current school data shows that whilst standards improved in reading and mathematics in 2012, the progress made was not fast enough in writing and for more able

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

pupils to attain higher levels in both writing and mathematics.  In assessments at the end of Year 6 in 2011, standards were well below the national average however current school data shows that the standards attained by Year 6 in 2012 are much improved and the progress made by this cohort across Key Stage 2 is good.  School data and a sample of pupils’ recent work show that since September 2011 progress most pupils made across the school improved and standards started to rise. Lesson observations and recent work show accelerated progress for pupils in Years 5 and 6. School assessment data indicates that children in the Early Years Foundation Stage also make good progress in all areas of learning which is ensuring that they now enter Year 1 ready, willing and able to make even more progress.  The school carefully identifies the needs of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs and because of the range of intervention strategies that are in place to support them

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

results in achievement that is in line with national expectations. Pupils supported by the pupil premium make similar progress to that of their peers.  Some pupils of higher abilities, particularly in Years 1 and 2 do not make the progress they could because work is not consistently demanding for them.  The proportion of pupils making the progress expected from their starting points is improving and in 2012 almost all pupils make the progress expected in both English and mathematics.  The majority of pupils read competently as a result of the well organised teaching of letters and sounds and well organised and focused guided reading sessions  Achievement is not good, because improvements in progress and standards are variable, and recent.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Although the overall quality of teaching is improving, there is not enough yet that is consistently good. There is some strong practice in the school, but too much requires improvement to ensure that most pupils make accelerated progress and achieve well over time.  Teaching is consistently good in Years 5 and 6 and in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  Where teaching is most effective, staff ensure that there is a good balance between adults giving information and pupils working on a task. Here teachers make clear their expectations of high quality work by providing tasks at a suitable level for those of different abilities. For example, in a very effective mathematics lesson in Year 6 skilful questioning and opportunities for pupils to discuss their ideas challenged everyone to develop their skills further.  Teachers have sound subject knowledge, but their use of assessment during lessons and their

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

understanding of the need to challenge those of different abilities, especially those of higher ability, is not consistent.  In the best lessons seen, the class teachers demonstrated that they know the pupils very well. Tasks were planned at the right level to take pupils’ learning on or to fill any gaps in learning. They constantly checked on pupils’ understanding so that misconceptions were addressed swiftly and tasks adjusted immediately. Pupils were encouraged to explain their thinking and to become confident in doing so.  There were common features seen in other lessons which required improvement. Too often work was not demanding enough, particularly for those pupils not working directly with the teacher. Pupils were over-reliant on or over-directed by adults. Occasionally teachers talked for too long which affected the concentration of some pupils leading to them to becoming passive learners who ‘switched off’ for a while.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of the support of other adults in the classroom varies. On occasions, this is not planned well enough and during whole class activities, teaching assistants are insufficiently utilised in maximising the progress of learners becoming an ‘extra pair of hands’ rather than a valuable learning resource.  The use of well-qualified staff is effective in helping those pupils who find learning difficult and those with special educational needs to improve their reading, writing and mathematical skills.  The quality of marking and written feedback has improved since the last inspection and the majority is of good quality. Pupils are encouraged to respond to written feedback and to comment on their learning at the end of the lesson.  All staff value pupils’ opinions and create happy classrooms so that most pupils enjoy their time in school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Good behaviour is evident in all areas of the school. Pupils show a high degree of courtesy and consideration for adults and each other; for example, holding doors open for each other is the expected norm.  Pupils say that occasionally there are minor offences and these are dealt with well. They are very clear about the school behaviour policy, rewards and sanctions. Most parents who offered a view agreed that behaviour is good in the school.  Pupils’ attitudes towards learning are good. They are generally well engaged, share equipment readily and support each other in group work and listen politely to what each other has to say.  Pupils are able to define what bullying is and are aware of most of the different types of bullying. They are aware of how to stay safe on the internet and could cite rare examples when name calling and other bullying incidents had taken place and been dealt with effectively.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils enjoy coming to school, as demonstrated by the above average attendance which is an improvement since the last inspection. Attendance has been a key focus for the school and staff have worked closely with parents and carers to reduce the number of absences. Celebrations of good attendance and close home-school working have resulted in improved attendance. Punctuality is good and there have been no exclusions for the last two years.  The quality of pastoral care is good and contributes to pupils’ sense of safety and well being.

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The leadership and management are good

 The leadership of the headteacher and deputy head teachers is having a strong impact on improvement in the school. They are respected and appreciated by pupils, parents, carers, staff, governors and the local authority.  The local authority has provided effective support and challenge for school improvement including monitoring provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  Improvements since the last inspection are evident and secure. These indicate that capacity to sustain improvement is good. The senior leaders have successfully trained other leaders and managers and effectively delegate areas of work to them. Teamwork is strong.  Joint observations during the inspection confirmed the accuracy of the senior leadership team’s professional understanding of the quality of teaching and learning. Discussions with staff show good levels of self-evaluation and self-criticism.  Even though teaching is not consistently good, a range of leaders and managers have improved

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The leadership and management are good

the quality of teaching through frequent and accurate well focused lesson observations.  Performance management is effective, and focused well on ensuring pupils’ continued progress and linked well to professional development and school priorities.  Leaders monitor the performance of staff and pupils’ achievement diligently and frequently. They quickly identify barriers and put a range of interventions in place.  The gap between the attainment of pupils in the school and nationally is closing. The school is driving equality even though some pupils are not yet achieving quite as well as they could.  Pupil premium funding is used wisely and effectively on a range of intervention schemes and additional staff. The effectiveness of the intervention schemes is carefully monitored to ensure these are improving progress and raising attainment. The impact is clearly evident in the improving standards in reading across the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum is well organised and effective and promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development very well. The good range and extremely well attended extra-curricular activities further support pupils’ progress and development.  Staff work extremely hard to reach and engage parents and carers. The proportion actively engaged with the school is growing.  The school’s arrangements for safeguarding its children, and the practical rigour of these, were confirmed during the inspection.  The governance of the school:  Members of the governing body support leaders and hold them to account for provision and pupils’ outcomes. They are astute, experienced and challenging.  They use resources well, for example they increased the budget for continued professional development in order to support the school’s drive to improve teaching.  Governors meet regularly with school leaders, other agencies and the local authority.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 131930 Local authority Redbridge Inspection number 402519

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3 – 11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 820 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Martin Brooks Headteacher Deborah Keigwin Date of previous school inspection 20 –21 January 2010 Telephone number 020 8590 1496 Fax number 020 8503 8311 Email address Admin.Southpark-pri @redbridge.gov.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', 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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School details

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 and as part of the inspection.

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School details

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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School details

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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School details

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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School details

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

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