Fenstanton Primary School

Fenstanton Primary School Abbots Park, London, SW2 3PW

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Inadequate 4 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

 All pupils are learning at a rapid rate. Achievement is good in all year groups and at times outstanding.  The children in the Nursery and Reception classes receive an outstanding experience that meets all their needs as they grow up. As a result, they make outstanding progress.  The appointment of outstanding teachers has dramatically improved the teaching of literacy and numeracy and the teaching for pupils with special educational needs.  Rigorous and regular checks on how well pupils are learning and how well teachers are teaching, coupled with staff training, have secured good teaching across the school.  Subject leaders provide good guidance to teachers in planning lessons and marking pupils’ books, and check this is working.  The headteacher, the executive headteacher of the Gipsy Hill federation, governors and staff work very hard together as an effective team to improve the school. There is no room for

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This is a good school

complacency but plenty of support to help teachers and pupils do their best.  The aims of the school are clear to all. Pupils expect to achieve well and work hard to reach this goal. They know what they have to do to achieve highly.  Pupils behave well in and out of lessons.  Parents and carers are pleased with what the school is now providing and how it keeps their children safe. It is now a school of choice.  The local authority has provided good support to help remove the barriers to improvement.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Not enough teaching is outstanding.  Parents and carers are not sufficiently involved in helping plan for the school’s journey to outstanding.  Not enough detail is provided in leaders’ analysis of pupils’ progress to help measure the full impact of teaching on learning and the effectiveness of action to develop the school further.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 28 lessons or part lessons. Eight of these were seen jointly with the headteacher or executive headteacher. An inspector also visited ten small-group sessions for disabled pupils and those special educational needs.  The three inspectors met with groups of pupils to discuss their work, hear them read, seek their views and tour the school. They visited assemblies on both days.  The inspectors reviewed the work in pupils’ workbooks and considered a wide range of school documentation, including information on pupils’ progress, teaching guidance and policies. The inspectors paid close attention to school information on the performance management of staff, attendance, behaviour and all aspects of safeguarding.  Meetings were held with the executive headteacher of the Gipsy Hill federation and the headteacher. There were discussions with subject leaders and year group leaders, the

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Information about this inspection

coordinator for the learning of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs and the welfare and home-school liaison officer.  The views of parents and carers were taken into account through the 21 responses on Parent View, the online survey. An inspector also met with a group of parents and carers who were representative of the school community.  An inspector checked on the arrangements of the breakfast club.  A survey of staff views was noted.

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Inspection team

Jonathan Palk, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Matthew Haynes Her Majesty’s Inspector John Wrogan Additional inspector

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Full report

In accordance with section 13 (4) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires special measures.

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Information about this school

 Fenstanton is larger than the average sized primary school. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is high. This includes those pupils who receive extra help from within the school and those who receive additional funding to support their emotional and academic needs.  The proportion of pupils eligible for additional government money allocated for pupils who are at risk of not doing as well as their classmates (known as the pupil premium funding) is almost half of all pupils and well above the national average.  There are many different home languages represented at Fenstanton School. Just under two thirds of pupils have a first language that is not English.  The proportion of pupils starting or leaving the school at times other than at the start of an academic year is higher than average.  The school meets the government’s floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for

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Information about this school

pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  The school has a three-form entry. There are two Nursery classes and three Reception classes, forming the Early Years Foundation Stage. The three Year 6 classes have relocated to Kingswood Primary School upper site while a new school is being built. This will open in April 2013.  On 1 March 2012, Lambeth local authority and the governing body of Fenstanton invited the Gipsy Hill federation to take on the leadership and management of the school. The school was placed in special measures later that month and this was the second monitoring inspection visit. The current headteacher took up post in September 2012.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Provide a way for parents and carers to contribute more to school development.  Ensure that:  the progress of different groups of pupils is made clear in pupil progress reviews  the information on pupils’ progress is used explicitly to measure teachers’ effectiveness and the success of action taken to develop the school further.  Increase the proportion of outstanding lessons by ensuring accuracy in the use of mathematical vocabulary, particularly when questioning pupils.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In the Year 6 national tests taken in 2012, pupils attained below average in English and mathematics. There has been an improving trend in English results over the past four years, although the upward trend in mathematics fell back in 2012. The progress pupils made from their starting points was average. Over time the proportions of pupils making expected progress between Year 2 and Year 6 have improved well. The Year 6 group of pupils made good progress in the later part of the year, having finished Year 5 with standards that were well below those of other pupils of the same age nationally. This progress was achieved as a result of improved teaching, extra help for individuals and specialist support. Current Year 6 pupils and those in Year 5 are making outstanding progress. The proportion of pupils on track to attain Level 5 shows significant improvement.  The attainment on entry to the Nursery and Reception Years is much lower than that found

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The achievement of pupils is good

nationally. Most noticeable is children’s underdeveloped speech and reluctance to use different words. This affects all other areas of their learning. The highly experienced Early Years Foundations Stage team tackles this with exceptional consistency throughout the day. Individuals are carefully observed and the information gathered to plan interesting and stimulating activities that build up children’s speaking, reading, writing, counting, physical and creative skills. Results have improved year on year, most notably in counting. Children are below expectations when they leave the Reception Year in speaking, reading and writing.  The well-established arrangements for child-initiated activity continue when they move into Year 1 and children do not fall back. Pupils’ attainment at the end of Year 2 is now in line with national averages, with an upward trend maintained over the last three years. Very few pupils

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The achievement of pupils is good

attain Level 3 at present.  The results from the 2012 Year 1 letter and sounds screening check were average. The information is used well to provide extra help in Year 2 and the progress made in one term is outstanding. The school has used the results to continue improving the way reading skills are taught. Younger pupils are developing accuracy in sounding out letters and confidently work out words they do not know. The fluency with which older pupils read books reflects the strong emphasis the school places on literacy skills. Although the range of books is not wide for the average and below average readers, they are highly committed to reading regularly and are making good progress over time.  The large number of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs receive high- quality support. The progress they make is very carefully checked and close links are maintained with parents and carers so any issues that may affect progress can be tackled. A large

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The achievement of pupils is good

proportion of pupils attract additional financial support through the pupil premium, which has a positive impact on their progress. The attainment and progress gaps between these pupils and others are narrowing, as they are for groups of pupils from differing ethnic backgrounds.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Regular, rigorous checks by leaders ensure teaching continues to improve rapidly over time. Planning is extremely thorough and work is well adapted to the needs of the various groups in each class. This precision in planning extends to the early morning basic skills programme, which help pupils practise important skills such as vocabulary, word building and recall of common number facts.  The activities of teaching assistants are meticulously planned so they work well alongside teachers, supporting learning. Many have been well trained and have considerable skills in, for example, teaching pupils who are learning English, guiding play in the Early Years Foundation Stage and teaching sounds and letters and numeracy programmes. Additional adults have built up very good relationships with those who require specific help in lessons to understand instructions or maintain their involvement. As a result, pupils’ ability to work on their own for

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The quality of teaching is good

longer has improved rapidly.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs receive high-quality help from teachers and teaching assistants. This approach is also used well to support pupils eligible for the pupil premium.  All adults demonstrate a good understanding of literacy teaching. Nevertheless, in a few numeracy lessons teachers are not precise enough in their choice of vocabulary or do not push the learning that bit further forward through more demanding questions.  Classrooms are stimulating and lessons are managed well to run at a pace that inspires pupils to remain focused. The subtle management of pupils’ behaviour, combined with very clear classroom rules, contributes to an excellent atmosphere for learning.  Teachers have high expectations and adjust lessons quickly to ensure everyone is learning at a good rate. Pupils are carefully questioned to check understanding and teachers use the answers

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The quality of teaching is good

to modify lessons if groups of pupils have made faster or slower progress than anticipated. Pupils are setting their own targets for what they want to learn in lessons and this helps teachers adjust the lesson even more accurately.  Pupils work is exceptionally well marked and clearly presented. Pupils know what they have to do to improve their work and are given time to go back over and correct their work. Parents and carers are also aware of how their children are progressing in relation to other pupils of the same age nationally and how they can help.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The atmosphere in school is highly positive. Pupils work hard on their own or in groups and in pairs. Staff go out of their way to encourage pupils to conduct themselves well at all times. They treat pupils with great respect and courtesy but also insist on the highest standards of politeness. Pupils strive to meet these high expectations, which was very evident during lunchtime when over 500 pupils queued and ate lunch in a calm and orderly manner.  Parents, carers and pupils are eager to report how much better the behaviour is in this last year. They say the uniforms have helped but also there is zero tolerance for bullying and racist behaviour. Pupils have a mature attitude towards cultural and religious differences and are quick to help new arrivals or those still struggling to understand English.  Parents and carers are pleased that the school deals firmly with incidents of misbehaviour. They

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

also praise the school for the way staff understand the emotional needs of children and work to reduce stress and anxiety that can often be the cause of poor behaviour. Pupils, parents and carers are pleased they get good guidance on how to stay safe on the internet and social networking sites. Bullying is infrequent. Consequently, pupils say they feel safe.  Attendance is below average. The number of incidents of lateness is diminishing. Late arrivals are not allowed to disrupt other learners because the systems for bringing late pupils into lessons is extremely well organised by the home-school liaison team. The school is working hard to improve attendance, for example by giving awards for high levels of attendance or taking families to court if they do not comply with school procedures. For their part, the pupils are keen to come to school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The considerable expertise of the Gipsy Hill federation leadership team, coupled with the enthusiasm and determination of the headteacher, has led to the substantial improvements in this last year.  The initial focus on meeting the needs of the current Year 6 by providing them with a change of environment and immediate access to a proven team of strong teachers and support staff has secured rapid gains in their attainment since March 2012.  A complete restructuring of staff in the summer term of 2012 introduced to Fenstanton a blend of highly experienced literacy and numeracy teachers from within and outside the federation.  The staff have been supported with the introduction of well-proven systems for managing behaviour, improving lesson planning, checking on the quality of pupils’ progress and reviewing teaching. This has meant no time has been lost in securing good learning for all pupils. The

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The leadership and management are good

high-quality training sessions and coaching sessions led by teachers and subject leaders is sustaining the effectiveness of recent improvements.  An increasingly effective system to manage teachers’ performance with an explicit link to pay and progression has been quickly implemented and resulted in the elimination of inadequate teaching. The performance management system pulls together a comprehensive range of evidence and is closely linked to the evidence from pupil progress reviews. This analysis is not precise enough in reporting on the performance of different groups of pupils to ensure an even sharper focus for measuring teachers’ effectiveness.  Senior staff know the strengths and weaknesses accurately. They are clear about the high standards they want pupils to achieve. The school improvement plan is clear about what has to be achieved and when. It helps the school to maintain the rapid improvement. Improvement has

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The leadership and management are good

been so quick that the school has already exceeded many of its targets.  Equality of opportunity is promoted well. The school has used its additional funding effectively to support eligible pupils with a wide range of extra literacy and numeracy sessions led by well- trained adults and access to theatres and music festivals.  Parents and carers appreciate that adults are present at the school gates at the start and end of the day, and are always approachable to deal with any matter including the welfare of children. They are particularly pleased that the school does not tolerate any form of racist behaviour. Although their views are collected through printed surveys, there is no clear mechanism for getting their views into the school’s plan for future improvement.  Safeguarding procedures are exemplary and reflect the determination to work with all the agencies helping families.  The local authority has provided a good level of support to the school, which has contributed

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The leadership and management are good

well to rapid improvement. The work of the school improvement team in managing a ‘fresh start’, dealing with underperforming teachers and providing the necessary funding to improve the provision for pupils has had a significant and positive impact. Their monitoring is regular but light touch because the school has its own capacity to provide challenge and support.  The governance of the school: Governors are effective in supporting the school’s leadership and in shaping the strategic direction of the school. They are well trained and clear in their roles and responsibilities for checking on the performance of staff and holding leaders accountable for pupils’ achievements. They gain a good understanding of the school’s effectiveness and know how to tackle underperformance through deploying resources available to them within the federation. Governors have a well-established approach to monitoring and evaluating the school’s

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The leadership and management are good

performance and comparing Fenstanton to similar schools. They meet regularly with subject leaders to check on the pupils’ progress and carry out tours of the school during the school day to review work and have a good overview of the quality of teaching. Governors’ effective budget management and use of funding bring about improvements that are clearly focused on what is best for the pupils. Hence, in this next financial year they have plans to maintain a high level of funding for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. There has been hands-on management of the additional funding for those pupils in receipt of the pupil premium.

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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 100595 Local authority Lambeth Inspection number 408613

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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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 619 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Pervin Sivanathan

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Executive Headteacher

Michelle Bennet Craig Tunstall Date of previous school inspection 23−24 March 2012 Telephone number 020 8674 3311 Fax number 020 8671 6419 Email address fenstantonoffice@gipsyhillfederation.org.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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Executive Headteacher

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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Executive Headteacher

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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Executive Headteacher

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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Executive Headteacher

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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Executive Headteacher

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

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