Lauriston School

Lauriston School Rutland Road, London, E9 7JS

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils achieve well in English, with some outstanding progress made in writing. The dip seen in achievement in mathematics last year has been eradicated and standards are rising rapidly.  Teaching throughout the school is consistently good and some is outstanding, especially in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  The headteacher’s high expectations are shared by all staff. Governors know the school well and hold it fully to account for its performance.  Pupils’ exceptional attitudes to learning have a positive impact on their progress. Their behaviour is exemplary.  The wide variety of exciting themes and activities provided by the school, including after-school clubs and visits, ensure that pupils develop skills in a broad range of subjects and are well prepared for the next stage of education.  Support staff who work one to one with vulnerable pupils, including those with disabilities or special needs, are making a

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

strong contribution to enabling their successful learning.  The care shown for pupils is outstanding. As a result they feel exceptionally happy and safe at school.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The proportion of outstanding teaching across the school is not sufficient to maximise pupils’ achievement and yield consistently high standards, particularly in mathematics.  In some lessons, the tasks do not always accelerate pupils’ learning or sufficiently build on what pupils already know.  There are missed opportunities for pupils to reflect and act on their teachers’ marking and guidance to make the necessary improvements.  Middle leaders are not playing a strong enough role in supporting consistently high standards in teaching and learning.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching in 20 lessons, five of which were jointly observed lessons carried out with the deputy headteacher and the assistant headteacher. Inspectors also carried out a series of short visits to other lessons across the school, talked with pupils and listened to them read.  Meetings were held with the Chair of the Governing Body and other governors, a representative from the local authority, members of staff and the leadership team.  Inspectors took account of the 64 responses to the on-line Parent View survey, as well as the views of the parents they met. Inspectors also considered the 48 responses to the staff questionnaire.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation, including the school’s self-evaluation, improvement plans, safeguarding policies, and records and documents relating to management of staff performance.

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Inspection team

Lesley Leak, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Richard Boswell Additional Inspector Ann Sydney Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger-than-average school with two forms of entry in Reception, Years 1, 2 and 3 and with one form of entry at Key Stage 2 in Years 4 to 6. There are plans to expand to two forms of entry throughout the school.  The proportion of children who are eligible for the pupil premium is average. Pupil premium is additional funding for the children in the care of the local authority, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those from service families.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is higher than the national average.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is high compared with national averages. A small number of these pupils speaks little or no English.  The proportions of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action plus or who have a statement of special educational needs are high

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Information about this school

compared to national averages, whereas the proportion of pupils at school action is average.  The school meets the government’s floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching to ensure rapid and sustained progress throughout the school, particularly in mathematics by:  ensuring that teachers always set tasks that are well matched to pupils’ different abilities  always deploying additional adults in lessons to both support and accelerate pupils’ learning  making sure that pupils are regularly given time to respond to teachers’ comments in marking and to correct mistakes in their written work.  Enhance the leadership of teaching by:  building the confidence and skills of middle leaders so that they take full responsibility for their role in managing the performance of staff  making sure that middle leaders play their part in ensuring that school policies relating to teaching and learning, for example about marking, are consistently followed up and acted upon.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Many children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills at age-related expectations. As a result of very strong teaching and excellent indoor and outdoor provision, children make rapid progress. By the time they leave Reception, children are very well prepared for their start in Year 1.  Pupils achieve well in English, including those who are at an early stage of learning to speak English, because of the school’s well-tailored support. The strong emphasis placed on teaching letters and sounds (phonics), combined with the school’s fervent promotion of reading for pleasure, means that pupils’ progress in reading is accelerating in most year groups.  Many pupils continue to exceed expected progress in writing, throughout the school, as a result of well-planned and effective writing projects designed to accelerate their progress, such as the Year 4 boys’ writing project using hand-held tablet devices.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ speaking and listening skills are exceptionally strong as a result of well-planned opportunities for pupils to discuss ideas or to develop their thinking through drama. For example, in an effective Year 5 English lesson, pupils acted out the prologue to Romeo and Juliet. The teacher’s high expectation, that all children would speak a line from the play, helped to develop their confidence with speaking aloud to an audience.  Pupils’ achievement in mathematics dipped significantly in Year 6 in 2012. However, evidence of the school’s current performance shows that pupils’ progress in mathematics has improved throughout the school, as a result of tighter management of the subject and rigorous checks on every child’s progress. Most pupils are reaching expected levels and a growing number are exceeding them.  Pupils supported through the pupil premium funding, including those known to be eligible for

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The achievement of pupils is good

free school meals, have not previously been making sufficient gains in progress to secure attainment which is in line with that seen nationally in English and mathematics. However, the gap in achievement is closing because the funding has been well spent on meeting the needs of identified pupils though very well targeted one-to-one support and small group teaching outside of lessons.  The school actively promotes equal opportunities and tackles discrimination by ensuring pupils who are not making sufficient progress are given extra help to achieve well. Careful checks on pupils’ progress mean that anyone who needs extra support is quickly identified and provided with specific support. Consequently, most pupils who are disabled and those with special educational needs and pupils for whom English is an additional language make good, and sometimes outstanding, progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching in most subjects, including English and mathematics, is usually good, with examples of outstanding practice. Teachers have high expectations, plan thoroughly and motivate pupils to learn successfully. As a result, they build good literacy and numeracy skills and achieve well over time.  Teachers and other adults create a highly positive learning environment which fosters good relationships and pupils’ excellent attitudes to learning. This is reflected in the exceptionally vibrant displays around the school and the exciting range of activities provided that stimulate pupils’ thinking and creativity.  Teachers cater successfully for the school’s diverse community by creating many practical ways to engage pupils in their learning. For example, in an outstanding Year 1 art lesson, pupils explored their emotions though painting their own dark and light paintings. Many produced high quality art work that was both graphic and full of movement.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the Early Years Foundation Stage, staff provide a stimulating, happy learning environment, both indoors and outdoors, where children quickly become confident learners and make good progress. Children feel secure and experience a wide variety of exciting activities that challenge and motivate them.  Where teaching is exceptional, teachers inspire pupils to learn and tasks are set to stretch their thinking and reasoning skills. They consistently check pupils’ understanding. In an excellent mathematics lesson in Year 2, pupils were subtracting two digit numbers and the teacher systematically used a range of methods to check their learning and set new challenges as required. As a result, most pupils made rapid gains in applying their numeracy skills.  However, in less effective lessons, teachers do not always pitch the work accurately enough to meet all pupils’ needs which can hinder the progress pupils make. Similarly, some teachers do

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The quality of teaching is good

not always check that pupils fully understand their next steps before starting a further learning activity. Occasionally, support staff are not deployed to best advantage all pupils’ learning.  Most pupils enjoy writing at length because they are given stimulating subject matter and encouraged to discuss their ideas first. Writing is very well developed in subjects such as drama. These approaches lead to high quality imaginative writing, as seen in pupils’ books.  Adults who provide one-to-one tuition for pupils in need of extra help, including pupils who have special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language, are well briefed and effective in role. They make a strong contribution to pupils’ good progress.  While marking is regular and teachers often provide detailed guidance, pupils are not always clear about their next steps. There are insufficient opportunities for pupils to reflect on their

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The quality of teaching is good

teachers’ advice, to correct their mistakes or to attempt further challenges.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school is exemplary. Pupils are unreservedly polite and courteous to one another, staff and visitors, and there is a strong community feeling to the school. In the words of one parent, ‘We are a very inclusive school where children can express themselves.’  Most pupils are eager to learn and are highly motivated. They demonstrate excellent social skills, working very well together in pairs or small groups. They respond positively to teachers’ high expectations and seize opportunities to take responsibility for their own learning and, consequently, achieve well.  All staff are skilled and highly consistent in their approaches to behaviour management, which contributes to the pupils’ improving academic achievement. The school is expert at managing positively the challenging behaviour of a small number of pupils. The school rigorously follows up the infrequent behaviour incidents which are dealt with immediately and effectively.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils say that bullying is rare. They speak highly of the school’s ‘restorative justice’ system and its emphasis on encouraging them to reflect on the choices they make.  The care shown for pupils is outstanding, enabling them to feel happy and safe in school. Parents and carers are extremely happy with the school, as shown in their extremely positive response to the on-line Parent View survey.  Pupils value the many opportunities to take on important roles and responsibilities on offer, such as being a member of the school council or a ‘young leader’, and even taking responsibility for the school’s pets for a weekend.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, ably supported by the leadership team, and together with the governing body, are successful in communicating their high expectations and strong ambition for the school to the staff and pupils. Since the last inspection, the leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage have improved significantly and are now excellent. Staff, parents and carers agree that the school is led and managed well.  The senior leadership’s systems for managing staff performance have been revised recently, so that they focus more precisely on the impact of teaching on pupil progress. Consequently, staff are accountable for ensuring that all pupils learn as well as they can and this is leading to a rise in standards, especially in mathematics. However, middle leaders are not yet confident about taking full responsibility for their part in this process or for ensuring that school policies relating

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The leadership and management are good

to teaching and learning are consistently followed up.  The curriculum provides a wide range of enrichment and cultural opportunities for high-quality learning and is successfully broadened by classes in information and communication technology, Mandarin, French and Spanish, philosophy, arts, sports and drama, as well as residential trips, visiting authors, theatre companies and the many exciting clubs on offer. Parents and carers speak highly about how well the school helps them to support their children’s learning at home.  The development of pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is highly successful. Pupils celebrate the diversity of different cultures and faiths and time is made for contemplation and reflection. They enjoy debating moral issues and are well prepared for the next stage of their education.  The school has set up many successful partnerships which enhance pupils’ learning and raise

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The leadership and management are good

their aspirations, including a transition project at the local secondary school, for the most able pupils.  The local authority provides effective light touch support in recognition of the school’s good overall effectiveness.  The governance of the school: - The governing body has made a strong contribution to the good quality of education the school provides. It is effective in both challenging and supporting the school. Governors know what the school is doing well and where it could do better because they are involved in the school’s self-evaluation activities. They have an insightful understanding of information on pupils’ progress, and use it to make comparisons with national expectations. They check the use of the additional funding through the pupil premium to narrow the gap in attainment, and are rightly proud of the impact on this group’s achievement this year. Governors are giving more emphasis to the school’s evaluation of teaching and its management of staff

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The leadership and management are good

performance in relation to pay progression. They ensure that safeguarding arrangements meet statutory requirements and see to it that equal opportunity is promoted well. Members of the governing body have been trained to fulfil their duties. They hold the school to account for managing its finances so that the budget is balanced.

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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 100229 Local authority Hackney Inspection number 413226

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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 375 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Caroline McIlwaine Headteacher Lisa Sharratt Date of previous school inspection 5 March 2009 Telephone number 020 898 56331 Fax number 020 898 56331 Email address admin@lauriston.hackney.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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