Risley Avenue Primary School

Risley Avenue Primary School The Roundway, Tottenham, London, N17 7AB

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Inspection dates 31 January – 1 February 2013

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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

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This is a good school

 Teaching is good overall and some of it is outstanding.  Almost all the pupils make good or better progress and learn well in their lessons.  Attainment when children enter the school is well below average but has reached national averages by the time they leave Year 6.  The school is using additional funding effectively to raise standards and pupils known to be eligible for free school meals are making good progress compared to the other pupils.  Pupils behave well and say they feel safe and cared for well.  Pupils enjoy school because the lessons are made interesting and fun.  The headteacher leads the school very effectively and is well supported by the deputy headteacher and all the staff.  The regular checks on teaching and the advice given to teachers have ensured that the teaching is good overall and sometimes outstanding.  Governors are knowledgeable about the school because they regularly check on how well it is

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This is a good school

doing. They are therefore able to provide a good balance of support and challenge.  Attendance rates have improved for the last three years and are now in line with the national average.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 A very small proportion of teaching still requires improvement.  Not enough teaching is consistently outstanding.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 28 lessons, of which six were joint observations with the headteacher or the deputy headteacher. Every class was observed at least once.  Meetings were held with three groups of pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body and four other governors, several staff members, including senior and middle leaders, and there was a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the 20 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View). Other parents’ views were sought through discussions at the start and end of the school day and following a class assembly.  Inspectors also took account of the 25 questionnaires completed by members of the school staff.  The inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s own data on pupils’ current progress, planning and monitoring documentation, records

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Information about this inspection

relating to behaviour and attendance, documents relating to safeguarding, and the minutes of various meetings.

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Inspection team

Nigel Grimshaw, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Philip Littlejohn Additional Inspector Vanessa Tomlinson Additional Inspector Ruth McGill Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is much larger than the average-sized primary school.  Nearly all the pupils are from minority ethnic groups.  Well over half the pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the additional funding provided for children in the care of the local authority and those known to be eligible for free school meals (the pupil premium), is well above average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and pupils who have special educational needs supported through ‘school action’ is well above average. The proportion supported at ‘school action plus’ or who have a statement of special educational needs is above average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school makes use of no alternative provision for its pupils.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the consistency of teaching by making sure that all teaching is good or better by:  maximising the time in lessons for pupils to undertake their own work  providing more challenge for the more able pupils to apply their skills and knowledge  making sure that the use of pupils’ individual targets for improving their work is more consistent across the school  sharing the outstanding teaching practice within the school so that teachers can learn from each other.

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Inspection judgements

 Children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with levels of skill and knowledge well below those expected for their age. The teaching in the Nursery and Reception classes is good and so children settle well into school life and make good progress. This is particularly true in their communication and language skills, as well as their social skills and cultural development.  The pupils regardless of their ethnic backgrounds build on this good start and the good progress is now clearly evident throughout the school because the school leaders have focused on improving the quality of teaching and learning in lessons. Pupils’ attainment at the end of Year 6 is now consistently in line with national averages.  The progress made is consistently good for all pupils, including those who speak English as an additional language, in reading, writing and mathematics because the teachers are able to motivate the pupils through their enthusiasm and high expectations.

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Inspection judgements

 The progress made by the pupils in their writing has improved considerably, partly because of the good and outstanding teaching of phonics (the sounds that letters make).  Pupils’ progress in reading is particularly good. Pupils say that they love reading. This is because the teaching of reading skills is very effective, particularly during their early years in school, and most pupils have great confidence in their reading ability.  The senior leaders and subject leaders keep a close watch on how pupils make progress. They hold meetings regularly with all the teachers to identify those pupils who are falling behind and to give an extra boost to their learning in smaller groups with adult support.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress because the staff check their progress closely. The work is, therefore, usually set at the right level and they receive good-quality support from well-trained teaching assistants and teachers.

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Inspection judgements

 The more-able pupils also benefit from work that is set at the right level for them in most lessons so that they are challenged to think carefully about their work. However, there are inconsistencies here and the school needs to provide more opportunities for more able pupils to apply their skills and knowledge.  Many of the older pupils have a good understanding of the level at which they are working. Pupils across the school like the targets set for them by the teachers to improve reading, writing and mathematics. These focus their efforts and contribute well to their progress. However, the use of targets remains inconsistent in some classes.  The school leadership is using the pupil premium funding to target support for individuals and small groups of pupils who need the most help. This is now proving effective and, as a result, the progress of these pupils as measured by the average points scores in end of Year 6 national

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Inspection judgements

assessments has improved and any gaps in their results compared to their classmates have closed.  The great majority of parents responding to the online questionnaire believe that their children make good progress. This was also evident from discussions with parents.

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Inspection judgements

 Teachers plan work for the pupils that is interesting and enjoyable, and which motivates them to learn well. Expectations are usually very high, particularly in terms of behaviour. Pupils responded enthusiastically, for example, in an outstanding literacy lesson in Year 1 where the pupils were working together and writing with enthusiasm about their trip to the Science Museum the previous day.  In the outstanding lessons, the pace of learning is brisk and the teachers use probing questions that make the pupils think carefully about their answers, extend their speaking and listening skills and improve their use of vocabulary. This was very evident in a Year 6 lesson where the pupils were debating whether children should be given homework. In a small minority of lessons, however, the teachers do not give sufficient time for the pupils to do their own work and consequently the pupils’ progress is slowed.

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Inspection judgements

 Relationships are a real strength and the teachers treat the older pupils as mature individuals, especially in the outstanding lessons observed during the inspection in Year 6.  Marking has been a focus of the school’s improvement and, as a result, is now an effective way of providing guidance to pupils.  Teaching very effectively promotes pupils’ outstanding spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, which is evident in lessons and around the school. Pupils work together well, value the opinions of others, and show good awareness of other cultures; lessons are rarely, if ever, disrupted through unacceptable behaviour.  Resources are well prepared, including the effective use of information and communication technology in lessons. The motivating resources and attractive displays help enliven and extend pupils' learning. This is definitely the case in the Early Years Foundation Stage, where the role-

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Inspection judgements

play areas and book corners provide marvellous opportunities for children to improve their language and communication skills.  Careful planning ensures that disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are taught well, often in small groups led by very effective teachers and teaching assistants.  From responses to the online survey and discussions during the inspection, it is clear that parents are extremely pleased with the teaching in the school. As one parent said: ‘The teachers are wonderful, giving up lots of their time to run clubs and other activities outside the normal school day and at weekends.’

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The vast majority of pupils have positive attitudes to learning. They are eager to do well. They are motivated, concentrate and persevere in completing the work set for them, and enjoy what they do. As one child said: ‘I want my mum and dad to be proud of me and so I work very hard at school.’  Pupils behave well in lessons and around school. They are kindly, considerate, polite and courteous and made the inspection team feel very welcome. The behavioural records confirm that this is the case over time too.  Good routines and high expectations of behaviour are well established in the Nursery and Reception classes, where there is a very calm, friendly learning atmosphere. The children learn to share and work and play together cooperatively. These qualities are carried with them as they progress through the school.  Pupils understand the various forms of bullying but say that they feel safe in school and bullying

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

in any form is very rare indeed and is dealt with promptly and effectively by the adults in school. Pupils are clear about the possible dangers of the internet and know how to stay safe when using it.  Parents also have confidence that bullying is not an issue. As one parent said: ‘I have had three children come to the school and they have all felt at home here and very happy.’  The headteacher, staff and governors have worked closely with parents to improve attendance. As a result punctuality and attendance rates have improved for the last three years and are now in line with the national average.

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The leadership and management are good

 The strong leadership of the headteacher, ably supported by the deputy headteacher and the governing body, provides a clear direction for the school. A rigorous programme of checks on the teaching and learning taking place has led to sustained improvement and so the pupils continue to achieve consistently high levels of progress throughout the school. Decisions about pay rates are based on the quality of teaching.  School leaders recognised the need to extend the leadership and management responsibilities to more staff and introduced a programme to achieve this. This programme has been extremely successful and this aspect of broader leadership is now a strength of the school because all staff are now regularly checking on the progress pupils make in all subjects.  Although teachers do not have regular opportunities to observe each other to make the most of the outstanding examples that already exist within the school staff are all given clear steps for

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The leadership and management are good

improvement. The views expressed by the staff in discussions and through their questionnaires were very positive indeed about their roles in school. They indicate clearly that the staff appreciate and enjoy working at the school and value the training organised for them to aid further improvements in their practice.  The range of subjects and activities for pupils encourages enjoyable learning and pupils are therefore engaged in their work. There are good opportunities for pupils to apply their reading skills when studying other subjects. The good use of visits, including residential exchange visits with a contrasting primary school in Cornwall, enriches the work the pupils undertake. A good range of clubs and activities also helps to broaden pupils’ experience.  The school has worked hard to engage parents in their child’s learning and from conversations with parents who attended the class assembly it is clear that parents appreciate this.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has established outstanding partnerships with other locality schools, contrasting schools and outside support agencies to improve learning experiences for all the pupils.  The local authority has provided positive support to the school over time, through annual review meetings, network meetings for subject leaders, and particularly in joint working to support provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage and in providing training for the governing body.  The governance of the school:  Governors have a good knowledge of the school’s strengths and weaknesses because they are working closely with staff to make the school even better. They have supported the school in maintaining good levels of progress in literacy and numeracy. They have a thorough knowledge of the quality of teaching in school and the steps being taken to improve this still further. Systems are in place for the approval of pay rises so that these are tied to how well

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The leadership and management are good

staff are doing. They also understand the performance data and how this compares with that of other schools. The school is therefore well placed to improve further. Governors have an excellent understanding of how the pupil premium has enabled small-group work to help pupils achieve well. They check that the funds have been used successfully. The safeguarding, health and safety of pupils, including checks on staff appointments, are good because staff and governors have received the appropriate training. Governors work closely with school leaders and staff to ensure that all pupils are treated equally and that there is no discrimination. Governors also regularly attend professional training to improve their practice further.

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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 131879 Local authority Haringey Inspection number 406457

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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 684 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Conrad Plentie Headteacher Robert Singh Date of previous school inspection 29 March 2011 Telephone number 020 88080792 Fax number 020 88016434 Email address admin3@risleyavenue-pri.haringey.sch.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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