Grange Park School

Age group 7–11 Inspection date(s) 11–12 July 2012 Inspection number 376722 Grange Park Junior School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 102432 Local authority Hillingdon Inspection number 376722 Inspection dates 11–12 July 2012 Lead inspector Jeanie Jovanova

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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 Junior School category Foundation Age range of pupils 7–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 320 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Yvonne Edgecock Headteacher Jayne Pavitt Date of previous school inspection 9–10 September 2008 School address Lansbury Drive Hayes UB4 8SF Telephone number 020 8573 3638 Fax number 020 8561 7716 Email address grangepkjun@hillingdongrid.org 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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achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 26 lessons taught by 13 teachers, including guided reading. They held meetings with pupils, staff, representatives from the governing body and local authority advisers. They scrutinised work in books, attended an assembly, spent time in the playground and sat with pupils at lunchtime. Inspectors took account of the responses to the on-line Parent View survey in planning the inspection. They looked at documentation relating to safeguarding and child protection, the school’s self- evaluation and development planning, minutes of governing body meetings, records monitoring the quality of teaching, reports from external consultants and data relating to pupil performance. They analysed the results from the 77 questionnaires returned by parents and carers as well as those completed by pupils and staff.

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Information about the school

This is a larger-than-average junior school. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is higher than the national average. Most pupils are from ethnic minority backgrounds, with the two largest groups being Indian and Black African. A large majority of pupils speak English as an additional language, a minority of whom are at the early stages of English acquisition. The school receives a large number of mid-year admissions, most of whom are new arrivals to the country. The proportion of pupils at school action plus or who have a statement of special educational needs is higher than the national average. The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectation for pupils’ attainment and progress. There has been a period of turbulence in terms of staff changes since the previous inspection. A new headteacher and deputy headteacher have been appointed and the special needs coordinator is on long-term sick leave.

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Information about the school

The school has recently achieved the Eco-Schools Bronze award. 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. Parents and carers praise the new headteacher and staff for their high levels of care and support. It is not yet a good school because teaching is not consistently good enough in all year groups to ensure rapid progress, and improvements are too recent to have redressed past underperformance. Schools whose overall effectiveness is judged to be satisfactory may receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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Key findings

 Achievement is satisfactory and improving. Pupils reach standards at the end of Year 6 that are broadly average, which represents satisfactory progress from their average starting points. Time is lost at the beginning of Year 3 because teachers do not build sufficiently well on the skills and knowledge pupils acquire in their previous school.

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Key findings

 Teaching is satisfactory because, over time, it has resulted in pupils achieving no more than satisfactory progress. In some lessons, particularly in Year 3, expectations are not high enough and questions asked during whole-class teaching do not always take into account the full range of pupils’ needs.

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Key findings

 Pupils’ behaviour is good and pupils say they feel very safe because there is a really caring community where ‘we are all as one’. They treat each other, and adults, with very high levels of courtesy and respect. They show very positive attitudes to learning. Attendance has improved and is now above average.

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Key findings

 Senior leaders, including members of the governing body, focus their drive and considerable expertise relentlessly on improving pupils’ outcomes. They have managed performance well, resulting in recent rapid improvements in the quality of teaching. However, middle leaders are not sufficiently engaged in the school development process . The curriculum, which is satisfactory, does not maximise opportunities for practising key skills across a range of subjects, but it does support the pupils’ spiritual, moral, cultural and social development very well. 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 the quality of teaching in all year groups to good or better so that all pupils make good or better progress by:  creating greater opportunities to develop writing and mathematical skills across the curriculum  raising expectations of what pupils are capable of, particularly in Year 3  using transition information to build quickly upon the skills and knowledge with which pupils arrive on entry to Year 3  asking targeted questions that cover the full range of pupils’ needs in order that all pupils remain engaged and suitably challenged during the whole-class teaching process.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure middle leaders are effective by:  contributing to improving the quality of teaching and learning in their year or subject area  embedding a cycle of plan, action, evaluate, review in order to ensure their actions have maximum impact  communicating the outcomes of these cycles effectively to senior leaders.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils join the school with skills in reading, writing and mathematics that are broadly average. By the time they leave Year 6, their attainment in English and mathematics remains broadly average. This represents satisfactory progress over the course of Key Stage 2. The current senior leadership team has rightly made accelerating pupils’ progress their priority. Lesson observations, scrutiny of work and hearing pupils read confirm the school’s own tracking which shows the school has been largely successful, particularly in Years 4, 5 and 6. For example, in a mathematics lesson in Year 6, pupils made outstanding gains in their understanding of number because the lesson was carefully planned to meet their differing needs and the word problems were linked to a book they knew well. However, these developments are much too recent to have fully redressed legacies of past underperformance. So achievement,

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Achievement of pupils

while an improvement on last year, remains satisfactory.

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Achievement of pupils

Due to the introduction of a range of specifically-targeted interventions delivered by teaching assistants who have received high-quality training, the performance of different groups is also improving. Pupils who are disabled or who have special educational needs, those known to be eligible for free school meals, those from different ethnic minority groups and pupils who speak English as an additional language are making progress that is at least in line with the progress of all pupils in the school. Pupils who are new to English, including those arriving mid term, are well catered for. However, due to past underperformance, this has yet to lift their progress beyond satisfactory. 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

Attainment in reading at the end of Year 6 is broadly average. Pupils have age- appropriate skills in phonics (letter patterns and the sounds they represent) and inspectors observed them using those skills to read for understanding in a range of lessons. Most parents and carers feel that their children make good progress. However, inspectors found that, although there is an improving picture this year in many classes, progress is currently satisfactory for most pupils.

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Quality of teaching

Over time, teaching has been sufficiently effective to ensure pupils make satisfactory progress. However, there has been a marked improvement in the quality of teaching and learning over the current academic year which is translating into improved progress for pupils in Years 4, 5 and 6. Internal monitoring shows that inadequate teaching has been mainly eradicated and the percentage of good and outstanding teaching has increased. Inspection findings verify that the school’s evaluation of current teaching is accurate. Concerted professional development opportunities and clear guidance from the leadership team have embedded a number of key features found in the increasing percentage of effective lessons. A lesson in Year 5 typified these new found strengths. The pace was brisk, the teacher stopped the class periodically to check on pupils’ progress and understanding and tasks were matched well to the range of needs in the class. The teacher used skilful questioning

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Quality of teaching

techniques to capture pupils’ interest and asked questions at different skill levels so that all had a chance to answer. This resulted in pupils being actively involved in articulating what they understood and how it linked to previous learning. In less effective lessons, expectations were too low and questioning did not target the full range of abilities in the class.

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Quality of teaching

Strategically, reading was the area the current headteacher felt should be tackled first. A new on-line programme, targeted interventions, breakfast reading clubs and closer attention to setting targets based on individual needs have resulted in improved reading skills for a large number of pupils. Teachers say pupils are therefore more able to access learning in lessons and they are now able to build upon these reading skills to try to accelerate progress in writing. Inspectors found that teachers mark work thoroughly and usually indicate the next steps needed to move learning forward. Pupils respond conscientiously to such developmental marking. When inspectors spoke to pupils, most could talk about the targets they had been set and the link between meeting them and progressing to the next level in their learning.

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Quality of teaching

Teaching for disabled pupils or those with special educational needs has improved even more rapidly and consistently than for all pupils because of the good quality of the teaching they receive in intervention programmes. Teaching creates opportunities for pupils to marvel at the world around them, such as when eating produce that they have grown themselves or visiting historical sites where scenes from the past are re-enacted. Pupils are encouraged to work together which they do harmoniously. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Quality of teaching

The very large majority of parents and carers feel that their child is well taught. Inspectors found that teaching has improved considerably, especially this term, but judged that most of the teaching pupils have received during their time in the school has been no better than satisfactory.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Behaviour is a strong feature of the school. Throughout the inspection, pupils treated the inspection team with the utmost courtesy and respect and a great deal of charm and enthusiasm. They have social skills that are more advanced than one would expect from pupils of their age and show a high level of maturity when discussing issues such as behaviour and learning. Pupils rise to the expectation, in most year groups, that they will be active participants in the learning process. Pupils cite a range of understanding about how to keep safe including on the roads, in cyberspace, in the sun and near water. They unanimously state they feel safe and the overwhelming majority of parents and carers agree. Behaviour logs are well kept and show that incidents are followed up with appropriate actions taken. There have been no incidents of racism this year and no exclusions for the last three years. A buddy system ensures new arrivals settle well and feel warmly welcomed.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils can talk eloquently about a myriad of ways in which bullying might manifest itself, for example if you are not very popular or extremely clever you might be a target. However, they say that, because they all look out for one another, bullying is extremely rare. They are also unequivocal in their assertion that teachers, including midday supervisors, deal with matters fairly, promptly and effectively. This aligns with the documentation inspectors analysed. Most parents and carers agree that behaviour is good in school and that the school deals well with any bullying. However, a small minority expressed concerns that their child’s lessons were disrupted by bad behaviour. Inspectors discussed this with pupils and staff, scrutinised logs of behaviour incidents over time and looked at policies and provision in place to support pupils with identified behavioural difficulties. They found that incidents of disruption in class are extremely rare.

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Leadership and management

Leaders at the highest level, including the governing body, have made significant strides in redressing previous underperformance. They have been particularly successful in improving the quality of teaching because they manage performance well. They have provided specific and well-targeted professional development which has contributed to eradicating the vast majority of inadequate teaching. They have drive and ambition and their vision statement, that children are at the heart of everything they do, is evident in all the decisions they make. The higher proportion of good and better teaching, the sharp rise in attendance figures, the introduction of effective interventions and a consequent improvement in pupils’ progress are testament to their good capacity to continue to improve. Overall, leadership and management are satisfactory because they have not yet been fully effective in ensuring that teaching promotes good or better progress for pupils in all year groups.

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Leadership and management

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

Furthermore, middle leaders do not contribute sufficiently vigorously to the school improvement process. For example, they do not always follow up planned actions. They have gained valuable insights into elements of good teaching by participating in lesson observations. However, they have not translated this fully into action to develop the quality of teaching to good in their subject area or year group.

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Leadership and management

Senior leaders are aware that the curriculum is not sufficiently cohesive to promote the good academic outcomes they seek and have taken steps to redress this from September 2012. However, trips, visitors and themed weeks add important dimensions in terms of broadening pupils’ cultural horizons. Pupils speak with awe about their trip to Hampton Court and to a West End theatre to see a production of Matilda and show deep empathy for the plight of those caught up in the Second World War. Assemblies and personal, social and health education lessons promote pupils’ ability to make positive moral choices and create a climate of trust and respect. In these, and many other ways, the school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well.

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Leadership and management

The school, including the governing body, is committed to equality of opportunity and this is borne out by the fact that there are no groups in school who perform significantly less well than others. Discrimination in any form is not tolerated and this contributes significantly to the harmonious community. Arrangements for safeguarding are robust and give no cause for concern.

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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 Grange Park Junior School, Hayes, UB4 8SF

Thank you so much for the warm welcome you gave us when we inspected your school recently. We particularly appreciated you giving your time to talk to us and to complete the questionnaires. Here are the best things about your school.

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Inspection of Grange Park Junior School, Hayes, UB4 8SF

 You go to a satisfactory school that is getting better in many ways.  More of you are coming to school more often.  Your teachers give you lots of opportunities to work together, which you do very well.  You say you behave well and treat each other with respect, and we agree.  You get to go on great trips as part of your learning.  You get helpful comments in your books which tell you what to do next.  You know your targets and the levels you are trying to achieve.

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Inspection of Grange Park Junior School, Hayes, UB4 8SF

To make it even better, we have asked your school to improve teaching so that all of you make good progress. We have asked your teachers to:  ask questions that get all of you interested in answering  make sure you have chances to practise writing and mathematics in lots of subjects  make sure that, when you first join the school in Year 3, they give you work which builds on what you have learnt in your previous school.

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Inspection of Grange Park Junior School, Hayes, UB4 8SF

We have also asked that some of your school’s leaders take part more effectively in the process of improving your school. You can help by telling your teachers if they do not ask the kind of questions you can answer, and by making the most of the new opportunities they offer you. We thank you again and wish you all the very best for the future.

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Inspection of Grange Park Junior School, Hayes, UB4 8SF

Jeanie Jovanova 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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