Clore Tikva School

Clore Tikva School 115, Fullwell Avenue, Ilford, Essex IG6 2JN

p.1

Overall effectiveness

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

p.1

This is a good school

 Pupils make good progress and achieve well.  Improvements in the quality of teaching have led to improved standards.  Over half of the pupils reach standards in English and mathematics that are a year ahead of eleven-year-olds nationally.  Pupils’ behaviour is good. Pupils are keen to come to school and, as a result, attendance is above average.  Pupils especially enjoy the interesting and engaging work they are given when subjects link together.  The school’s work to develop pupils’ personal skills is a strength.  Teachers, managers and leaders, and the governing body all work together well. This strong teamwork underpins the school’s success in raising and maintaining pupils’ achievement.

p.1

It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Not enough teaching is outstanding and this is why pupils’ learning is not outstanding.  A few lessons proceed too slowly; in these, resources are not used well enough to ensure pupils are given sufficient opportunities to find things out for themselves.  At the start of a few lessons, teachers do not explain clearly enough what it is pupils are expected to learn from the tasks they are given.  Some of the staff with responsibilities for subjects are not sufficiently involved in checking the quality of teaching and learning in their subject through the school.

p.1

Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 26 lessons and 18 teachers or teaching assistants leading parts of lessons.  Meetings were held with several groups of pupils and inspectors listened to pupils read.  The inspectors held discussions with the Chair of the Governing Body, a representative from the local authority and school staff.  The 64 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) were taken into account, as well as the 27 responses to the staff questionnaire.  The inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a range of documents, including the school improvement plans, priorities for development, records of pupils’ achievement and documents relating to safeguarding children.

p.2

Inspection team

Ruth McFarlane, Lead inspector Additional Inspector David Thomas Hatchett Additional Inspector Fayge Levenberg Additional Inspector

p.2

Information about this school

 This primary school is larger than average. It is a Jewish faith school.  The school has a number of long-serving staff including the headteacher and the deputy headteacher.  The proportions of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are below average, including pupils supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs, and those who are supported through school action.  The proportion of pupils who are eligible for additional support under the pupil premium initiative is well below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The governing body runs a breakfast club in the school. This formed part of this inspection. After-school care run in the school by other providers was not a part of this inspection.  The school has several awards for its work including the full International Schools Award.

p.3

Information about this school

 Almost all of the Year 6 pupils were on a week’s residential visit to an outdoor education centre during the inspection, and therefore were not seen as part of the inspection process.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that teaching is consistently good, and more is outstanding, by:  always making it clear to pupils, at the start of lessons, what it is they are intended to learn from the tasks they are given  conducting all lessons at a lively pace, and encouraging more independent working by pupils  ensuring that resources such as dictionaries, research books and computers are used more frequently to help pupils find things out for themselves.  Ensure that all staff with responsibilities are involved in checking how well their subject is being included in the curriculum and how well it is taught through the school.

p.3

The achievement of pupils is good

 Children enter the school with skills and knowledge broadly as expected for their age.  Learning has improved at all stages so that pupils make good progress throughout the school. They achieve well.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage children enjoy a variety of interesting activities that help them achieve average and above standards by the time they enter Year 1.  In Key Stage 1 pupils continue to do well because activities often mirror real life and develop pupils’ social skills well, such as choosing items in a ‘shop’ to ‘buy’ in mathematics, and working out how much change they are due.  It is throughout Key Stage 2 that the main improvements are evident since the previous inspection. Standards are above average in English and mathematics. Pupils’ books include high- quality writing, for instance in sensitive passages about the Second World War. Work in mathematics includes problem-solving work that shows well-developed thinking skills. This

p.4

The achievement of pupils is good

means pupils are well prepared for secondary school.  Improvements in the quality of teaching are resulting in good progress for all pupils, ensuring equality of opportunity. This includes those for whom the school receive additional funding (the pupil premium), and disabled pupils and those that have special educational needs. Lesson planning ensures that all these pupils receive additional help from learning support assistants; this support enables the pupils to make faster progress than at the time of the previous inspection.  Pupils who find learning easy also do well, although sometimes they are not encouraged sufficiently to find things out for themselves by using dictionaries, encyclopedias or the internet.  Pupils enjoy reading. They learn letter patterns and the sounds they represent in a systematic way, and this enables them to read unfamiliar words correctly. Standards in reading are above

p.4

The achievement of pupils is good

average by the end of both Year 2 and Year 6.  The topic-based curriculum, linking subjects together, is helping to inspire pupils to discuss their learning more readily with each other and with teachers, and to read more widely. This ensures that pupils’ skills in communication, reading, writing and mathematics are developed well across all subjects.  The range of visits pupils enjoy successfully build self-confidence and increase independence, as well as allowing pupils to develop teamwork skills and friendships, benefiting all of their learning.

p.4

The quality of teaching is good

 Improvements made in the quality of teaching continue to drive the quality of learning up for all pupils. It is currently resulting in good, but not outstanding, learning.  In the majority of lessons, teachers plan well to ensure that pupils enjoy good opportunities to learn, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs.  Visits are planned to support learning at school; they link well to lessons and contribute to pupils’ enjoyment.  Teachers create an ethos of warm support. Their subject knowledge is generally strong, and throughout the school behaviour management is good. Pupils respond by working cooperatively and focusing on the task in hand.  Good questioning, especially when not reliant on ‘hands up’, ensures that pupils understand and extend their learning, because the attention of all is maintained. This was the case in Year 1 where pupils learned rapidly to estimate lighter and heavier articles in a science activity.

p.4

The quality of teaching is good

 Lessons are also often exciting experiences leading to lasting learning. In the Early Years Foundation Stage, a variety of well-planned activities and adults’ careful assessments enable each child to make good progress.  Teachers’ marking is usually very helpful in explaining what pupils should do to improve their work. Targets set for pupils ensure they know how to reach the next level in their learning, and this knowledge speeds up their progress.  In a few lessons, across the school, pupils are kept for too long listening to the teacher, reducing the time available for them to work independently or in groups. This also limits the time available for the use of available resources such as using the internet, reading for research, or using dictionaries.  Occasionally, pupils are not told clearly enough what it is they are expected to learn from the task given. This holds up their learning. In one Year 2 lesson, for instance, the learning objective

p.4

The quality of teaching is good

was announced as ‘change’, which did not explain to pupils that they were to learn how to find the difference between two sums of money.  The teaching of reading, while good, is a current focus for further improvement. Guided reading sessions are leading to faster progress, but the use of reading records is variable. The best ones are a useful link between home and school and help parents share in their children’s success.  Among the many good lessons are a high number that broaden pupils’ cultural development. In a strong Year 5 lesson, pupils identified different literary features that poets use. Discussions about Afro-Caribbean food and the study of a poem by Mohammed Ali enabled improved cultural understanding.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are welcoming to visitors and show pride in their school. They generally behave well. Disruption in lessons is rare and minor. Typically, pupils enjoy their learning and respond well in class with positive attitudes to learning, especially in lessons with plenty of activity and those which link subjects together.  When pupils are playing outside, moving around the school or interacting with each other and adults, their behaviour is also typically good. It is managed well by staff and leads to pupils developing a strong moral code and understanding of right and wrong.  Pupils are punctual getting to school and into lessons. Attendance is above average.  The majority of parents who responded to the on-line questionnaire thought that the pupils are well behaved and that bullying is effectively dealt with. Pupils believe that behaviour at the school is good and that there is very little bullying of any kind including physical, emotional and

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

cyber bullying.  All pupils, including those in the Early Years Foundation Stage, feel safe and very secure. Most of the parents who responded to the questionnaire agreed.  Pupils understand the rewards system at the school and are keen to do well.  The school council provides pupils with an opportunity to take an active role in their school. The arrangements for electing councillors help pupils gain a good understanding of how a democratic society works.

p.5

The leadership and management are good

 Leaders, the governing body and the local authority recognise common goals that they want to achieve. They have focused successfully on securing good improvements to the quality of teaching.  Improved focus on setting targets for teachers and checking the quality of lessons have led to raised standards for pupils.  School self-evaluation is accurate, leading to appropriately targeted plans for the future development of the school. Staff training links to the overall aims of the school development plan to have the greatest impact on future improvements.  Leaders track pupils’ progress accurately. This allows them to set ambitious targets for pupils and staff. Additional funding, spent on providing additional learning support, enables the school to take prompt action to ensure that pupils who are supported by the pupil premium funding do not fall behind.  The information the school maintains on individual pupils’ progress also enables disabled pupils

p.5

The leadership and management are good

and those who have special educational needs to receive prompt attention to ensure their progress is equal to that of the others.  The curriculum is newly developed in ways that link subjects together. As yet, subject leaders do not contribute fully to the checking of teaching in their subject and its depth of coverage across the school. This limits their overall contribution to the school’s drive for improvement.  A good range of additional activities supports learning, including chess, cookery and crafts. Visits and residential trips provide additional experiences that promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The work of the school to help pupils to understand different religions and cultures has led to the full International Schools Award.  The governance of the school:  Governor training has ensured that responsibilities for keeping pupils safe are discharged properly and that governors understand the performance of the school well in relation to

p.6

The leadership and management are good

others. Regular headteacher’s reports and governors’ visits enable governors to be appropriately involved in establishing an accurate view of the school’s performance itself and its effectiveness in managing change. Governors are fully aware that the school needed to emerge from a ‘coasting’ phase evident at the previous inspection and that this has been achieved. They have ensured that staff receive robust training, setting higher targets for teachers. These have improved teaching and, therefore, pupils’ achievement. The governing body ensures that the school’s finances are used effectively. The governors check that teachers whose salary has progressed above others remain consistently good teachers, sharing their expertise. They check that any additional funding, for example that known as the pupil premium, is used exclusively to provide extra help for the pupils for whom it is intended. Although they are keenly aware of how pupils are progressing, governors are only just

p.6

The leadership and management are good

beginning to check the specific impact of the pupil premium funding on these pupils’ achievement.

p.6

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

p.7

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.

p.7

School details

Unique reference number 131682 Local authority Redbridge Inspection number 402495

p.8

School details

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

p.8

School details

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 445 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Richard Burack Headteacher Lenna Rosenberg Date of previous school inspection 4 May 2010 Telephone number 020 8551 1097 Fax number 020 8552 2070 Email address admin.cloretikva@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 .

p.8

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.

p.9

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

p.9

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

p.9

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’.

p.9

School details

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

p.9