Ivydale Primary School

Ivydale Primary School Ivydale Road, London, SE15 3BU

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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 good school

 The headteacher’s high expectations and ambition for improving the school are communicated well through her senior team and this is having a strong impact on rising standards.  Leadership of the Early Years Foundation Stage and the provision for children in Nursery and Reception are good. Most children make good progress as a result of the good teaching.  Standards are now above average in both Key Stages 1 and 2 and pupils’ progress has improved throughout the school since the last inspection.  Extra mathematics and literacy activities are provided for pupils who need extra support and this is contributing to rising standards.  Phonics (the sounds that letters make) is taught well across the school so that children make good progress in reading from an early age.  The wide variety of themes and activities provided by the school ensures that pupils develop skills in a broad range of subjects, including the arts and this supports their

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This is good school

spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Behaviour in lessons and around the school is good. In the best lessons children’s behaviour is exemplary.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 A minority of lessons require improvement and the proportion of outstanding teaching is not high enough to ensure that all pupils make rapid progress. In a few lessons activities do not provide enough challenge by building on what pupils already know.  Marking is not yet consistently applied. There are too many missed opportunities for children to reflect and act on their teachers’ guidance in order to make the necessary improvements rapidly.  Although the quality of teaching is improving as a result of leaders’ monitoring and the training being provided for staff, targets set for teachers are not always tailored to their specific needs.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 25 lessons, four of which were joint lesson observations carried out with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and the assistant headteacher with responsibility for the Early Years Foundation Stage. Inspectors also carried out a series of short visits to other lessons across the school, observed two assemblies and listened to children read.  Meetings were held with staff, pupils, members of the governing body, including the chair and a representative from the local authority. Inspectors took account of 129 responses to the on-line Parent View questionnaire as well as any views which were communicated by letter.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation including nationally published data and the school’s own data, the school’s self-evaluation, improvement plans, safe guarding policies and records and documents relating to performance management.

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Inspection team

Lesley Leak, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Christopher Crouch Additional Inspector Patricia MacLachlan Additional Inspector Clare Gillies Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger-than-average primary school.  The Early Years Foundation Stage is made up of Nursery and Reception class provision.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for additional funding through the pupil premium is above average.  The proportions of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported at school action and school action plus, or who have a statement of special educational needs, are broadly average.  The proportion of pupils speaking English as an additional language is similar to the national average. A very small minority of them are at an early stage of learning English.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is above average.  The school operates a breakfast club and an after-school club.  The children’s centre, which shares the same site, is also the subject of a separate inspection.  The school meets the government’s current floor targets, which set the minimum expectations

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that all teaching is at least good and increase the proportion of outstanding teaching by:  improving the effectiveness of marking so that all pupils not only know their next steps and how to achieve them, but are routinely given opportunities to act on their teachers’ comments and work on their corrections  ensuring that learning activities consistently provide a suitable level of challenge for all pupils by building on what children already know  making sure that all staff improve their practice by setting teaching targets that address any identified areas of weakness  providing staff with more opportunities to observe the best classroom practice.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most children in the Early Years Foundation Stage make good progress from their starting points. The proportion reaching or exceeding the expected level of skills development by the end of the Reception Year has risen in recent years and is above average.  Standards are now above average in both Key Stages 1 and 2. Pupils’ progress throughout the school is improving year on year since the last inspection. Pupils’ work and the school’s current progress data shows that pupils are making good progress in English and mathematics in nearly all year groups, although progress is a little slower for a small minority of classes. The school has ensured that additional resources and support are in place for those classes where gains made are less rapid and this is beginning to have a positive impact.  There is an improving picture of progress for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, many of whom in the last year reached broadly average standards. This is because the

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The achievement of pupils is good

school has identified these pupils’ needs more accurately and has provided more appropriate additional support.  There is a similar upturn for higher ability pupils in Year 6, especially in writing, where they are now exceeding national expectation as a result of good teaching in this area.  The achievement of pupils for minority ethnic groups has improved since the last inspection and is now broadly similar to other pupils. Those for whom English is an additional language make similar progress to other groups as a result of good support provided by the school.  Pupils’ reading skills develop well in Key Stage 1. The result of the tests in phonics (letters and the sounds they make) for six-year olds in Year 1 demonstrates pupils’ above average reading skills. Standards in reading in Key Stage 2 have fluctuated in recent years but are now steady and progress in pupils’ reading is now rising in almost all classrooms.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium are making as much progress as other groups. This is because the funding has been properly spent on meeting the needs of identified pupils through additional one-to-one support and other intervention activities in mathematics and English, as well as on relevant professional development for staff.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Most teaching is good, with some examples of outstanding classroom practice. A small number of lessons require improvement.  In the most effective lessons, expectations are very high and help pupils to make rapid progress. In these lessons, teachers have good subject knowledge; there is a positive atmosphere; activities are fast paced and pupils are prepared well for their next stages of learning.  Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage is good. Expectations of what children in Nursery and Reception can do are very high and as a result they achieve well. A skilfully planned mixture of teaching and play, both inside and outside the classroom, makes a significant contribution to the children’s good learning and progress. In these lessons, children collaborate and are eager to learn.  The teaching of reading is good at Key Stage 1. Phonic knowledge is developed systematically and taught particularly well in Reception and Key Stage 1 so pupils make good progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

Provision for reading is improving at Key Stage 2 partly because there are increased opportunities for reading and for pupils to talk about what they have read. Underperforming readers are now given extra support so that pupils’ overall achievement in reading is rising.  In the best English lessons, pupils are encouraged to write at length and are explicitly taught how to improve the quality of what they write. In an outstanding Year 5 writing lesson, pupils acted out to music what they imagined it would be like to be a member of royalty or a trickster, in preparation for an extended piece of mythical writing. Prepared well by the teacher, the children remembered to draw on newly acquired skills such as opening their stories with atmospheric phrases that made good use of description.  Most work is set at the right level. The majority of teachers use what they know about pupils’ prior learning to plan challenging tasks that match and extend pupils’ ability levels. However in a

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The quality of teaching is good

small number of lessons requiring improvement, learning activities do not always securely build on what pupils already know.  Extra mathematics and literacy intervention activities are provided for pupils at risk of underachievement. In the main, additional adults who support pupils in need of help, including those identified as having special educational needs, are making a strong contribution to rising standards because their work is robustly planned and they are well trained.  In general marking is regular and supportive. Most marking helps pupils to improve by encouraging them to respond to comments on their work and to address corrections. Sometimes further challenges to consolidate what has been learned are provided. The best marking makes an explicit link to the child’s next steps to achieve his or her targets.  Where marking is less effective, pupils are not always clear about what they have to do to

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The quality of teaching is good

improve. Too often there are missed opportunities for pupils to reflect and act on their teachers’ guidance or to correct their mistakes. School leaders are aware that such practice needs to be rigorously and consistently applied to enable all pupils to make rapid gains.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour in lessons and around the school is good. Pupils say that they are happy and feel safe at school. They act responsibly on the playground. Their attitudes to learning are positive and they concentrate on their work, persevering with activities for long periods without losing attention, even in the less effective lessons. In the very best lessons the children’s behaviour is exemplary.  Pupils demonstrate good social skills. They get on very well together and respond positively to adults. They work together purposefully in groups. Many are confident speakers and engage articulately in conversation with adults and other pupils. Pupils are respectful of each other and this contributes to their good learning.  Pupils enjoy school. Their attendance is broadly average and has been improving year on year. Behaviour is managed well by the school and as a result, incidents of unacceptable behaviour

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

are decreasing. The school works very well with outside support agencies with regard to behaviour management and as a result this is an area of strength. The school’s learning mentors help to promote a good climate for learning and the pupils speak highly of their contribution.  Instances of bullying are rare and pupils say that bullying is not a problem. They say it is dealt with swiftly when it does happen. A few concerns were expressed by parents and carers in their responses to the Parent View questionnaire, but evidence gathered during the inspection showed that such incidents are infrequent and are handled well by the school.  Weekly assemblies are used effectively by the school to encourage reflection on moral and spiritual issues and their impact is felt in the pupils’ respect for diversity and how well they treat one another.

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The leadership and management are good

 The ambitious leadership of the headteacher and her senior leadership team is shown in their relentless pursuit of higher educational standards and consistently good or better teaching quality. The leadership of the Early Years Foundation Stage is robust and highly effective. The headteacher’s high expectations for improving the school are mirrored in the work of those leaders in charge of subjects, who are committed to the school’s success, and are a growing strength of the school.  There are many examples of strong leadership which have led to improvements in the quality of the school’s work. Central to this picture of improvement, is the robustness of the school’s view of its strengths and weaknesses; the investment in the accurate tracking of pupils’ achievement and the high quality of training and professional development for staff.  The quality of teaching is improving rapidly, partly as a result of accurate monitoring of

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The leadership and management are good

classroom practice, routine sampling of pupils’ work and regular progress checks. There are clearly thought out policies to ensure that every pupil is able to achieve well across every subject area. However, teachers’ targets for development are not always tailored to their specific needs and leaders recognise that there is scope to provide more opportunities for staff to observe the most effective teaching within the school.  There are countless opportunities for pupils across the school to participate in activities that promote their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The school is rightly proud of its Year 6 “Philosophy for Children,” curriculum which gives pupils the chance to discuss challenging spiritual and moral questions at a sophisticated level. There are plans to develop this across the school.  The well-established creative curriculum makes sure that pupils develop skills in subjects such

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The leadership and management are good

as: music, art, physical education, design and technology and dance. Pupils’ experiences in these subjects are often enriched by exposure to professional input; for example, Year 3 pupils were benefitting from additional dance lessons from the Royal Ballet Company, during this inspection.  The school is adept at exploring links between subject areas imaginatively. This was evident in a recent Key Stage 2 art and religious education project which deepened pupils’ understanding and knowledge of why religious buildings conform to particular architectural designs.  There is good engagement with parents and carers and the school is effective in enabling them to support their children’s progress at home.  Safeguarding arrangements meet current statutory requirements.  The local authority has effectively supported the school’s improvement in recent times.  The governance of the school:  the governing body now rigorously and consistently challenges and supports the school

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The leadership and management are good

through establishing mechanisms at committee level which have a direct impact on the school’s effectiveness  the governing body receives regular comprehensive evaluations of the school’s performance. It knows what the school is doing well and where it could do better because it is fully involved in the school’s well-focused self-evaluation activities  governors closely monitor the effectiveness of the use of the additional funding through the pupil premium  members of the governing body are attached to each year group to monitor pupil progress; they visit lessons and follow up on data relating to the evaluation of teaching  the governing body ensures that safeguarding arrangements meet statutory requirements and that equality of opportunity is promoted well.

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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 100796 Local authority Southwark Inspection number 404736

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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 451 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jeremy Hayward Headteacher Helen Ingham Date of previous school inspection 10–11 November 2010 Telephone number 020 7639 2702 Fax number 020 7635 8218 Email address office@ivydale.southwark.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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