Henry Cavendish Primary School

Inspection Report

Unique Reference Number 100567 LEA Lambeth LEA Inspection number 276332 Inspection dates 2 May 2006 to 3 May 2006 Reporting inspector Christopher Gray AI

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Inspection Report

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

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Inspection Report

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3 to 11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number on roll 413 Appropriate authority The governing body Date of previous inspection 5 June 2000

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School address

SW12 0JA Telephone number 02086733376 Fax number 02086757856 Chair of governors Ms Cathy Harvey Headteacher Ms Elizabeth Antrobus

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

The school is larger than most primary schools. The percentage of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is higher than found in most schools, as is the proportion of pupils at the early stages of learning English. Most pupils come from backgrounds that are less favourable than usually found. The percentage of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is above average, though the proportion with statements of special educational need is below. Children's attainment on entry to school is below what is normally found, though there are wide variations from year to year. Key for inspection grades Grade 1 Outstanding Grade 2 Good Grade 3 Satisfactory Grade 4 Inadequate

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Overall effectiveness of the school

This is an outstanding school which gives excellent value for money. The school is well aware of its own strengths and areas for development and is effective in its self-evaluation, but was cautious about making so high a judgement as inspectors have.

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Overall effectiveness of the school

In their time in this school, pupils develop as responsible, trustworthy and hardworking people who thoroughly enjoy their learning. They achieve well throughout the school, especially in reading and writing, and leave school in Year 6 with above average standards. Pupils develop so well because the school does its utmost for them. Leadership and management are outstanding and ensure that the care, guidance and support given to the pupils are of the highest quality. This is evident in pupils' understanding of safe, healthy lifestyles and in the respect they give to other human beings. The curriculum is outstanding because it interests and enthuses pupils and develops their creativity well - as seen in the high quality art work and demonstrated by the very good singing. The school makes excellent use of partner institutions and works very well to involve parents and pupils in decision making. Teaching is good, but, in a few lessons, the pace

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Overall effectiveness of the school

Provision for the Foundation Stage is good. New management in the nursery and improving teaching in Reception classes ensure that children make good progress. This provision has improved since the last inspection and is clear evidence of the school's strong capacity to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

* share the best practice in teaching, so that all of it is at least good.

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Achievement and standards

Pupils achieve well throughout the school. They enter school with below expected skills and leave at the end of Year 6 with standards that are above average, reaching the challenging targets set for them. Achievement in reading and writing is particularly high. Progress in mathematics has been less strong in recent years, but is now improving rapidly as a result of action taken by senior management. The current school focus is on writing, because the most recent evaluation showed that progress in this subject could be better in some year groups. All groups of pupils achieve equally well. The school's focus on the achievement of Black Caribbean pupils has been particularly effective and this group is among the highest achieving groups in the school. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities achieve at similar rates to most pupils, as do those whose first language is not English. Children in the Foundation Stage achieve well and make

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Achievement and standards

good progress on the skills with which they start school.

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Personal development and well-being

The personal development of the pupils is outstanding. Pupils' excellent behaviour, attitudes and keen sense of 'respect' (a school priority) lead to their outstanding social and moral development. The wide and interesting curriculum helps pupils to build up excellent cultural awareness and gives them plenty of strong spiritual experiences - as the headteacher said in assembly, 'Your singing today makes my finger-ends tingle'. It was clear that the pupils thought so too. Levels of attendance have improved as a result of the school's work with a number of families and are now average.

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Personal development and well-being

Pupils are involved in discussions that affect the school, such as their successful campaign to acquire new games equipment for the playground. The school actively promotes healthy lifestyles and this is reflected in the take-up of sporting activities. Pupils are clear that they are safe in school and are well aware of how their behaviour might affect the safety of others.

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Personal development and well-being

Raising money for various charities helps children become more aware of the needs of others. This and their good basic skills help them to develop well for later life. Very good links with the community, such as the Community Hall project, boost children's self-esteem.

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Teaching and learning

Pupils learn well because teachers help them to enjoy being at school. The great majority of lessons are interesting and challenging, so that pupils want to learn and do well. Teachers are skilled at managing pupils' behaviour, so that a good working environment is created in most lessons. Teachers cater well for the needs of individuals and modify their planning in response to pupils' learning. The comprehensive recording system known as 'back page' ensures that the needs of pupils of all abilities are taken into account. Marking and the use of targets make it clear to pupils how they can improve and aid their good progress. Teachers help pupils to evaluate their own work, so that they begin to take responsibility for their own learning. In a few lessons, learning is not as good because the pace of the lesson is slow and does not hold the pupils' attention for sufficiently long. Occasionally, this is because the teacher does not insist upon such

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Teaching and learning

high standards of concentration as are evident in the great majority of lessons.

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Curriculum and other activities

The curriculum is outstanding. It is carefully designed to ensure that all pupils make good progress and enjoy their lessons, and includes good use of the local environment and pupils' varied backgrounds. Detailed planning enables teachers to make strong cross-curricular links that lead to well designed themed teaching. Additional detailed weekly evaluation sheets ensure that the needs of all pupils are met, by highlighting where learning needs to be revised or has been firmly established.

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Curriculum and other activities

The staff are currently working hard to ensure that the curriculum gives opportunities for children to be even more creative in their approach. In addition to good standards in the core subjects and in information and communications technology, standards in other subjects looked at during the inspection - art, design and technology and singing - are also good. This is preparing pupils well for their future education and helping them to get the most out of their education.

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Curriculum and other activities

The curriculum is further enhanced by relevant visits such as an upper junior residential visit to an activity centre in Shropshire, and by a good range of clubs, many of which are managed by the Kids' City after school club.

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Care, guidance and support

The care, guidance and support for pupils are outstanding. Staff are skilfully deployed to meet identified needs. Pupils respond very positively to the excellent guidance and encouragement they receive. This is because assessment systems are detailed and are used well by all staff to match learning to individual needs and to set targets which pupils use to judge their own progress.

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Care, guidance and support

All child protection procedures are secure, meet legal requirements and ensure that staff are aware of the needs of vulnerable pupils. 'Worry boxes' enable children to record, anonymously, any concerns that they have. These help further increase the pupils' sense of security. Pupils identified as gifted and talented are also well supported and opportunities are created for them to further their interests and skills. Supervision at lunch and break times is good and regular inspections ensure that the school provides a healthy and safe environment. Before- and after- school care provision has recently been upgraded as a result of parental opinion.

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Leadership and management

Leadership and management are outstanding. The headteacher drives improvement with very clear vision and exceptionally good knowledge of the school's strengths and weaknesses. This is because school self-evaluation is good. The headteacher's corporate approach is very successful because it ensures a common direction for the school, fuelled by high aspirations, and it is clear that all adults share this vision. Standards in core subjects have risen considerably as a result. Writing, for example, has improved as a result of identification as a priority this year.

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Leadership and management

Performance management is effectively linked to the drive for higher standards and to improvement in pupils' personal development. There have been recent very good improvements in the management and organisation of the Foundation Stage, resulting in a better curriculum. The pace of these improvements shows that the school has strong capacity to improve still further.

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Leadership and management

Subject managers monitor teaching and learning well, enabling them to evaluate provision and implement improvement in their subjects. The impact of this has been good overall, particularly in English, mathematics and science.

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Leadership and management

Links and communication at all levels are good and include substantial consultation with parents and pupils. Numerous useful connections with other schools and local authority agencies also give good support to curriculum improvement and pupils' progress. The governing body contribute to the school vision and are well informed.

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Leadership and management

Staff and pupils are unanimous in stating that they feel very much part of a community and that they thoroughly enjoy their time at this school.

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? 1 NA How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 1 NA The quality and standards in foundation stage 2 NA The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 NA The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes NA Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection Yes NA

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Achievement and standards

How well do learners achieve? 2 NA The standards 1 reached by learners 2 NA How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations 2 NA

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between groups of learners How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress 2 NA 1 Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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Personal development and well-being

How good is the overall personal development and well-being of the learners? 1 NA The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 NA The behaviour of learners 1 NA The attendance of learners 3 NA How well learners enjoy their education 1 NA The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 NA The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 NA The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community 2 NA How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being 2 NA

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The quality of provision

How effective are teaching and learning in meeting the full range of the learners' needs? 2 NA How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 1 NA How well are learners cared for, guided and supported? 1 NA

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Leadership and management

How effective are leadership and management in raising achievement and supporting all learners? 1 NA How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education 1 NA How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review 2 NA How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can 1 NA How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money 1 NA The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities 2 NA The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected Yes NA

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse Yes Learners are educated about sexual health Yes

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them Yes

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community Yes

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

There is provision to promote learners' basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams Yes Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form NA Education for all learners aged 14-19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy NA

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

We really enjoyed our visit to your school and have many happy memories - such as sharing a book with younger pupils in the playground in the May sunshine, and your particularly good singing in assembly on Wednesday morning. You were friendly, polite and pleased to see us and we thank you for making us so welcome.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

There are lots of outstanding things about your school. Your behaviour is excellent, you work hard and enjoy your lessons and you make good progress. You know how to keep safe and healthy and you explained this clearly to us. All the adults in the school work hard too, to make sure that your lessons are interesting, to give you challenging work and to provide you with a safe and happy environment.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Your headteacher runs the school extremely well and her staff are right behind her in all she does. This and your attitudes to school make it the successful place it is. There is only one thing we have asked the school to do to make your learning even better, and that is to make all your lessons as good and as interesting as most of them are.All in all, we judged that your school gives you an excellent, all-round education. Yours sincerely

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

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.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspections', which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk .

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