Forster Park Primary School

Forster Park Primary School Boundfield Road, Catford, London, SE6 1PQ

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Overall effectiveness

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

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 There is too much variation in the quality of teaching and as a result pupils’ progress is uneven across the school.  Standards at end of Key Sage 1 and Key Stage 2 in reading, writing and mathematics though improving are still below national averages. Standards in writing are lower than those in reading and mathematics.  Pupils eligible for the pupil premium funding, especially those eligible for free school meals, are not doing as well as other pupils in English.  Pupils are not always encouraged to participate actively in their lessons.  Teaching does not challenge more able pupils enough so too few of them at end of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 are attaining higher levels in reading, writing and mathematics.  Marking in books does not consistently tell pupils their next steps and how to get there.  Leaders of subjects are not sufficiently trained to be able to check closely and build on the progress of pupils in their subjects.

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Not enough opportunities are given to parents and carers to work with the school to improve attendance.

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The school has the following strengths

 Teaching is particularly strong in the Early Years Foundation Stage and most pupils make good progress from very low starting points.  Pupils’ reading is developing well and the phonics (sounds that letters make) screening check results show a substantial improvement from last year’s below national average score.  Progress of pupils is on an upward trajectory. Current school data show that all pupils in Year 6 in the school are in line to make expected progress and some will make more than expected progress this year.  Pupils with special educational needs are making good progress because their needs have been carefully identified and one-to-one and group teaching arranged for them in English and mathematics.  Behaviour in lessons and around the school is good and has improved steadily in the last two years.  The new school structure supported through the ‘soft’ federation with Rangefield Primary School has strengthened the new senior

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The school has the following strengths

leadership team and governing body. The school is moving forward at a significantly faster pace than previously.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 24 lessons, 22 of which were joint observations with senior leaders. In addition, the inspection team made short visits to other lessons, looked at pupils’ work and heard pupils read.  Meetings were held with staff, pupils, parents and governors, including the Chair of the Governing Body, the Vice-Chair and three representatives from the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the 69 responses from parents and carers (including 35 on-line questionnaires (Parent View) and 34 printed copies) as well as 25 questionnaires completed by staff.  The inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation, including nationally published information on pupils’ achievement and the school’s own data, local authority review reports, the school’s self-evaluation, improvement plans, safeguarding policies, and records and documents relating to the management of teachers’ performance.

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Inspection team

Justina Ilochi, Lead inspector Additional Inspector John Mason Additional Inspector Olson Davis Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is larger than average.  Pupils come from a variety of minority ethnic backgrounds and only about a quarter of pupils are of White British heritage. A third of pupils speak English as an additional language.  Since the previous inspection, the school has experienced a period of turbulence, with major changes. Almost all staff are new in post and all except two members of the governing body are also new. Nine of the existing teaching staff are newly qualified teachers and the staff member in charge of attendance was appointed in February 2013.  The school is in a ‘soft’ federation arrangement with Rangefield Primary School and plans are under way to convert to a ‘hard’ federation by September 2013. The school leadership structure has changed and the school is led by an executive headteacher and two heads of school.  The number of pupils eligible for additional funding through the pupil premium (additional

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Information about this school

government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, children who are looked after by the local authority and children of service families) is more than double the national average.  Almost a third of pupils are disabled or have special educational needs and there is a huge variability in numbers in year groups. The number of pupils supported through school action is above average, while the numbers who have a statement of special educational needs or are supported at school action plus are well above average.  Some pupils from the school are educated off-site at New Woodlands .  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that the quality of teaching is consistently good or better by ensuring that:  the marking of pupils’ work does not consistently provide them with clear information about next steps in learning and how pupils can achieve them  teachers use up-to-date assessment information when planning lessons so that they can build effectively on pupils’ existing knowledge and skills, and better match tasks to the needs of pupils of all abilities, especially more able pupils.  teachers encourage pupils to participate and play a more active part in their own learning.  Increase rates of progress by ensuring that new leaders of subjects are sufficiently trained to be able to:  check closely and build on the progress of pupils in their subjects  review regularly the impact of the additional support on the reading and writing of pupils eligible for the pupil premium funding who are eligible for free school meals.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase rates of attendance by ensuring that parents and carers are more fully involved in the work of the school and the progress of their children.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Attainment at end of Key Stage 2 in English and mathematics is inconsistent and current school information suggests that it will remain below national averages this year particularly for pupils expected to attain higher levels .  High numbers of special educational needs pupils in each year group can impact on attainment, as their attainment is understandably lower than for other pupils. However, the proportion of pupils in Year 6 reaching the higher Level 5 in reading, writing and mathematics has been too low in the last three years. It is particularly low for writing. This is because teachers do not ensure that writing topics for Years 4, 5 and 6 pupils challenge more able pupils enough to help them to reach their potential.  Pupils eligible for the pupil premium funding who are in receipt of free school meals in Year 6 attain similar standards to their peers in mathematics and English. This is because the school has

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

put in place several interventions, such as individual or small group tuition and after-school and lunch clubs as well as providing focused training for teachers and support staff. However, leaders of subjects have not always checked the effectiveness of these extra lessons and their impact on pupils’ progress has been variable.  All pupil groups, including minority ethnic groups, those with English as an additional language and pupils educated off-site, made similar progress to that of their peers in the school this year.  School data suggest that progress has improved rapidly in almost all year groups. All pupils in Year 6 are in line to meet national expectations and the number expected to exceed expectations is broadly average. This is because the school has invested in extra teachers to reduce class sizes so pupils are catching up and covering lost ground quicker.  Many children enter Reception with skills below age-related expectations. As a result of very

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

strong teaching and strong leadership in the Early Years Foundation Stage, children now make good progress and reach broadly age-related expectations.  Pupils with special educational needs progress really well from low starting points because their needs are identified well and support is well arranged for them. This year, the proportion of pupils with special educational needs in Year 6 meeting expectations was above the national average compared to similar pupils nationally.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching requires improvement because its quality is too inconsistent, despite the hard work of the new senior leadership team. As a result, variable progress was seen in pupils’ books.  The quality of marking and written feedback has improved since the last inspection. However, some pupils are not fully aware of the levels at which they are working. They do not always know their targets or next steps well enough or how to achieve them because they are not routinely referred to when work is marked.  Teachers do not consistently make good use of assessment information to set work that is matched to pupils’ needs and ability levels. In a few lessons, all pupils were given exactly the same task, with some finding the work too easy and finishing quickly while others struggled to make a positive start with their work and could only do so with adult support. This slowed the progress of more able pupils towards attaining higher levels in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching of writing is improving at a slower pace than reading and mathematics because of the legacy of variable teaching in the past. School leaders are aware of this and have recently trained teachers in more interactive ways to promote writing through role play. This is already having a positive impact on pupils’ writing. However, these strategies are yet to raise the attainment in English of pupils eligible for free school meals.  The teaching of mathematics is improving because of the range of opportunities given to pupils to practice their skills in real-life situations. For example, in a very successful Year 3 mathematics lesson, the teacher skilfully used focused questions around shopping and money to teach simple additions and subtractions. This increased pupils’ enjoyment and engagement in the lesson.  Where teaching is effective, teachers use a range of strategies such as one-to-one or group

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

teaching with a support assistant, that accurately meets the needs of most pupils, especially pupils who have special educational needs. Consequently, pupils on school action, school action plus and pupils who have a statement of special educational needs make good progress overall. Reading is increasingly well taught, particularly in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1. Staff are skilled in helping pupils to become familiar with phonics (the sounds that letters make) and to develop high levels of confidence as readers. The phonics screening check results for 2013 show a substantial improvement from last year’s below national average score.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour in lessons and around the school is good. Pupils say they are happy and feel safe at school, and behaviour has been improving rapidly since the appointment of the new executive headteacher for the ‘soft’ federation in October 2011. As a result, exclusions have reduced drastically in the last two years.  Pupils’ attitudes to learning are consistently good in most lessons and play a significant part in the steady improvements in achievement. However, in some lessons, pupils are passive because teachers do not encourage them to participate actively in their own learning.  Adults are good role models for pupils both inside and outside the classrooms and behaviour is managed well. A good example was seen in a lesson in the Early Years Foundation Stage, where the high quality relationships between teachers and support staff encouraged a positive atmosphere. As a result, pupils develop good personal and social skills.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are polite and most are confident speakers when conversing with adults and other pupils. They get on well together and work constructively in groups. Pupils are respectful of each other and this contributes to their improved learning.  Pupils are fully aware of all forms of bullying, including e-bullying. They say bullying is uncommon but, when it does happen, the school deals with it swiftly. A small minority of parents and carers expressed concerns about bullying on ‘Parent View’ but staff and pupils who spoke to inspectors say that this was before the executive headteacher was appointed.  Weekly assemblies are used effectively by the school to encourage and reinforce good behaviour through role play and spiritual reflection. Pupils know right from wrong and often correct each other. This contributes to pupils’ spiritual and moral development.  Pupils say that they now enjoy coming to school. Parents and carers, as well as staff, have

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

confirmed this. Having been below average for the last three years, attendance has improved rapidly this year and is now close to the national average.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school’s knowledge of its strengths and weaknesses is robust and there is a suitably focused action plan to tackle areas requiring improvement in reading, writing and mathematics.  Since the last inspection, the school has benefited from a new structure within a ‘soft’ federation arrangement with Rangefield Primary School. As a result of the sharing of expertise, a new proactive programme of staff training is in place to support newly qualified teachers (NQTs). This has significantly improved the quality of teaching of NQTs  The new executive headteacher, heads of school and governors have worked well as a team to improve the school’s systems for managing staff performance. Staff are held to account six times a year for improving the quality of their teaching. This has led to the drastic reduction of inadequate teaching.  Training opportunities for staff are linked to the management of their performance and are

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The leadership and management are good

rapidly improving the quality of teaching and the behaviour of pupils from the very low baseline of the past three years. As a result, progress is improving steadily and the capacity for continued improvement is secure.  The school understands its pupils and promotes equal opportunities and tackles discrimination well. For example, pupils eligible for the pupil premium funding are well identified in all year groups and their progress is closely monitored and tracked.  Processes for checking pupils’ progress are rigorous, robust and accurate. They have been developed in the last year and are embedding well. For example, the effective use of assessment information, updated regularly, checked and used for planning, has enabled one teacher in Year 6 to challenge special educational needs pupils in her class to do the best they can. However, new subject leaders are not yet checking these closely enough or ensuring that teachers are

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The leadership and management are good

building on the progress of pupils in their subjects  The curriculum meets pupils’ needs well and there is a good range of extra-curricular opportunities. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted effectively and pupils have a sound awareness of a range of faiths and cultures.  Procedures for dealing with attendance and punctuality are having a positive effect since the appointment of the new attendance officer. Attendance rates rose this year in almost all year groups. The attendance of pupils on the second day of this inspection was in line with the national average. However, there are missed opportunities for further improving attendance through greater involvement of families in the work of the school and the progress of their children. The attendance of the pupils on roll in the school but taught at New Woodlands is checked well.  The local authority played a very important role in the conception of the ‘soft’ federation. The

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The leadership and management are good

school has welcomed and worked in a very positive way with the local authority and the high- quality expertise and support they have received. The school particularly valued the reviews that followed their previous inspection which were effective in helping sharpen their focus on what needed to be done.  The governance of the school: – Governors know what the school is doing well and where it could do better because they are fully involved in checking the school’s effectiveness. The new governing body receives regular comprehensive evaluations of the school’s performance and knows how the school’s pupil progress information compares with achievement nationally. Their role within the ‘soft’ federation enables them to help the school further through sharing and encouraging good practice between the two schools. The governing body holds the school to account for managing its finances. For example, governors keep a close eye on how well the additional

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The leadership and management are good

pupil premium funding is being used and know where it is making a difference. They pay close attention to the school’s evaluation of teaching and are improving their understanding of how salary decisions are based on teachers’ performance. The governing body fulfils all of its statutory duties, including those relating to safeguarding. Members of the governing body are experienced, motivated and inspirational. They undertake relevant training so as to keep the school continuously under review.

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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 100683 Local authority Lewisham Inspection number 412179

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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 459 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Kris Hubbert Headteacher Sabeena Hasan Date of previous school inspection 16–17 March 2010 Telephone number 020866985686 Fax number 020686959659 Email address info@forsterpark.lewisham.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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