Rangefield Primary School

Rangefield Primary School Rangefield Road, Downham, Bromley, Kent, BR1 4RP

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 From below-average starting points, pupils make outstanding progress; by the end of Year 6, attainment is above the national average.  A supportive and stimulating environment in the Early Years Foundation Stage enables children to thrive and become confident learners.  Teaching is well planned, lively and engages the pupils well. Teachers are confident in their subject knowledge and check-up very thoroughly on how well pupils are learning.  Behaviour is outstanding and attitudes to learning are exemplary. Behaviour management strategies are consistently applied, and pupils respond very well to these.  Pupils have a positive ethos for learning. They enjoy cooperative and collaborative learning in rich classroom environments.  Social and moral development across the school is very strong and pupils enjoy finding out about different cultural and religious groups.  Excellent teamwork means that teachers and

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

support staff get the best from their pupils. This is particularly evident in the support and challenge provided for pupils with special educational needs.  Leadership at all levels is cohesive and strives for improvement. Successes are celebrated while at the same time the next areas for improvement are being explored.  Senior leaders in particular have steered improvement over time and look for ways to bring about rapid improvement when needed.  High-quality training for teachers has helped to raise standards, especially in the use of phonics (the sounds that letters make).  Governors plan strategically for the benefit of the school. They challenge staff at all levels to have high expectations and raise standards through teaching that meets the needs of all groups of pupils in the school.  The school has developed an outstanding and flexible curriculum that is adapted well to meet the needs of all pupils.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 21 lessons, of which 10 were joint observations with the executive headteacher, the head of school and an assistant headteacher. In addition, inspectors made short visits to eight lessons. Each class was observed at least once. Inspectors observed children playing at lunchtime and playtime, and listened to a sample of Year 2 and Year 6 pupils read.  Inspectors had discussions with the Chair, Vice-Chair and four members of the Governing Body, a representative from the local authority, the executive headteacher and head of school, senior leaders, middle leaders, the teaching staff and two groups of pupils.  Inspectors looked at a range of documentary evidence, including the school’s records of pupils’ progress; documents relating to health and safety, staff vetting procedures and special educational needs; the school website; the governing body minutes; the school’s checks on its progress and priorities for improvement; and reports made on the school by

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Information about this inspection

the local authority representative. Pupils’ written work was also examined.  Inspectors took account of the responses of 36 parents and carers to the online questionnaire (Parent View), the views of children at the school through their own questionnaire, and the results of 32 staff questionnaires. Inspectors met some parents and carers informally at the start of the school day.

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Inspection team

Rebekah Iiyambo, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Fiona Robinson Additional Inspector David Sleightholme Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is an above-average-sized primary school.  The school is part of a federation with another local primary school.  The majority of pupils are of White British heritage, with the next largest groups being from Other White and African heritage. An above-average proportion of pupils speak English as an additional language, some of whom are at the early stages of learning English.  An above-average proportion of pupils are known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for children in the care of the local authority, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and pupils with a parent in the armed services.  The Early Years Foundation Stage consists of a Nursery and Reception.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is above average, as is the proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs.

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Information about this school

 The school currently holds the Inclusion Quality Mark, Artsmark and the Healthy Schools awards.  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 teaching resources are used effectively, so that pupils of all abilities are able to apply their literacy and numeracy skills in new areas of learning quickly.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Children enter the school with lower than expected skills and knowledge. However, the supportive and stimulating environment of the Early Years Foundation Stage enables them to thrive and develop independence and confidence in all areas of learning. Standards have improved rapidly since the previous inspection.  All groups of pupils, including those from minority ethnic groups, achieve exceptionally well and consistently make rapid and sustained progress. As a result, attainment has risen since the previous inspection and is now above average. The improvement in mathematics results by the end of Year 6 is particularly good, with the proportion of pupils reaching the higher Level 5 considerably above the national average in 2012.  The progress of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is excellent because of the high-quality support and challenge they receive.  In 2011, pupils eligible for the pupil premium performed well in comparison to other pupils in the

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

school. In 2012, their performance in English dropped back, and they were just over eight months behind their peers and approximately four months behind in mathematics. Current data for these pupils show that their attainment has improved. The progress they make is now at least in line with their peers across the school, and in many year groups, they are making better progress than their peers.  The pupils know about a range of authors and read with confidence. They enjoy reading and do so frequently, with some pupils saying that they prefer to read a book rather than watch television.  Excellent reading skills help pupils to do well in writing. Many pupils, across all ages, respond to high teacher expectations and produce high-quality written work in books. For example, one of the older pupils, during a creative writing lesson, wrote: “Dressed in rags and shoes of wolfskin, she was a sight to behold. However, it was her beauty that struck awe into all.”

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils produce a consistently high level of quantity and quality of work in their books across different classes within year groups. For example, during Year 5 mathematics work, pupils were provided with everyday practical problem-solving activities and the appropriate vocabulary, and achieved the same high standards across the two classes.  Imaginative ways of presenting subject knowledge are used by teachers, such as the creation of animations about volcano eruptions by the pupils themselves, in a lesson to develop information and communication technology (ICT) skills.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teaching is consistently good, with many examples of outstanding teaching across subjects and key stages. Teachers and leaders at all levels talk confidently about the features of outstanding lessons and work hard to embed these into their own lessons.  Very good planning and strong subject knowledge ensure that pupils gain a deeper understanding. For example, pupils explored a wide range of artists in detail from across the globe to produce high-quality art work, which combined visual and tactile materials well. They were able to talk confidently about how they feel when comparing their own work with the work of others, including the artists they studied.  The pace of learning in lessons is excellent, because of energetic and enthusiastic teaching that engages the pupils effectively.  Teachers use excellent assessment approaches to engage pupils in identifying their own strengths and weaknesses through perceptive questioning. Daily routines provide pupils with

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

very good opportunities to respond to marking and improve their work.  The teachers use a system called ‘Steps for success’ very effectively to ensure pupils are focused on current learning. This includes checking on learning during lessons so that pupils can think about the activity they are completing and how they can make their learning more effective.  Teachers consistently check up on what pupils have and have not learned from previous lessons. For example, in a Year 5 mathematics lesson, the teacher explored in more detail the work on obtuse angles that had been taught the previous day to clear up a few misconceptions.  Professional development sessions focusing on strategies for teaching good and outstanding lessons have helped to develop highly consistent classroom practice. For example, the development of phonics teaching (the sounds that letters make) in Nursery classes has had a significant impact on raising standards.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Occasionally, in some lessons, teachers rely on speaking and listening rather than using a wide range of structured resources matched to the ability of pupils. As a result, some groups of pupils are not able to apply their literacy and numeracy skills as quickly as they could.  Lessons are well structured in relevant sequences of learning, such as the ‘Pride of London curriculum project’, through visits to the London Eye and London aquarium. These were followed up well in a Year 4 mathematics lesson when resources, such as underground maps, were analysed in problem-solving activities to determine the cost of journeys to and from a range of tube stations.  Excellent teamwork, and the high level of support and challenge provided for pupils, ensure that specific groups of pupils are very well engaged in their learning. This is particularly evident for pupils with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language,

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

who are provided with a wide range of purposeful speaking and listening activities.  The learning environment in classrooms is enriched with displays that contribute to extending pupils’ knowledge and understanding. Clearly displayed key words and other vocabulary are used by all pupils and particularly help pupils who speak English as an additional language to develop their speaking and listening skills.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils are very proud of their school and talk in a confident and mature manner about what they have achieved. Behaviour across the school is outstanding. Pupils’ attitudes to learning are exemplary and they manage their own behaviour and those of their peers very well, particularly when talking about what contributes to good behaviour, such as good manners.  The school develops a positive ethos, about what is expected in lessons and around school, and the pupils respond very well, like their lessons and enjoy learning. Consistent expectations of pupils to support each other and learn from each other arise because staff work hard to provide rich environments for learning in their classrooms.  Pupils have an excellent knowledge of different forms of bullying, including cyber-bullying and e- safety when using the internet.  Staff communicate consistently high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and reinforce these with a

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

range of appropriate strategies. The pupils respond well to these because they are well understood and consistently applied by all staff.  Communication with parents and carers is very good. One parent said that this was the best choice she has ever made, going on to state: ‘My child loves coming to this school.’ Parents and carers of pupils with special educational needs are very positive about the support their children receive.  Discussions with parents and carers, the comments they make and nearly all of those who responded through Parent View show that staff care very well for their children, are approachable, happy and have a good sense of humour.  As a result of many initiatives to engage parents and carers, the effective use of external agencies, and improved learning in lessons, attendance at the school has improved and is now above average.  The school ensures rigorous procedures for risk assessment take place, which contributes

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

significantly to keeping pupils safe during a wide range of learning activities.  The pupils learn from one another about the different lives of others. They enjoy finding out about different cultural and religious groups, and have gained a lot of information from the links they have with a partner school in South Africa.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The success of the school lies in the outstanding and dynamic leadership of the executive headteacher and head of school. Leadership at all levels is very cohesive, with middle leaders keen to ensure that improving pupils’ progress is the key priority. They are happy to celebrate their successes, while also identifying the next areas for improvement.  The school makes very effective use of the local ‘challenge partnership’ to ensure professional development of staff is well targeted and has an impact on identified school priorities. Leaders have high expectations of all staff, who are proud to be members of a school ‘on the move’, as stated by one member of staff.  The federation partnership has implemented very thorough performance management systems, and leaders are confident to challenge and support staff about the quality of teaching. This has resulted in increased standards over time, and particularly during the last 12 months. The local

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The leadership and management are outstanding

authority has provided light-touch support.  Detailed analysis of the single central record, safeguarding procedures, and the rigorous and robust risk assessment processes shows that the school places pupils’ care and safety at the centre of its work.  Senior leaders are effective in ensuring there is no discrimination, and work hard to enable all pupils to take part in the wide range of activities the school has to offer.  The curriculum is outstanding in meeting the needs of pupils extremely well because it contains well-planned development of skills across a range of subjects. Staff work hard with enthusiasm and creative flair to make topics studied realistic, relevant and interesting, including educational visits that are followed up effectively in lessons. This well-targeted curriculum is a significant strength that underpins success in a large number of classrooms.  The governance of the school:

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Governors are totally committed to the school, using their wide range of skills to meet the school’s needs very well. They relish the opportunities they are provided with when working together alongside senior leaders and other staff in the school. There is an open and honest relationship and they share the visionary and ambitious aims of the executive headteacher and head of school. Governors are well informed about how well the school is doing in comparison to similar schools and have a good knowledge of the quality of teaching.  Governors plan strategically for the benefit of the school and are not afraid to challenge staff at all levels about possible improvements. They discharge financial and safeguarding responsibilities with aplomb. They know the school community very well and ensure that all pupil premium-funded pupils are well provided for, including those who are more able, whom they ask to be pushed towards the highest National Curriculum Level 6.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The governors attend a lot of training provided by the local authority and feed information gained into decision making, such as moving forward with the federation, making changes to the curriculum to be more flexible in meeting pupils’ needs, and investing in new resources such as hand-held electronic devices for reading. Link governance works very well and, as a result, they are very well informed about performance management and associated decisions about pay for staff.

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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 100699 Local authority Lewisham Inspection number 411863

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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 449 Appropriate authority The governing body

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Executive Headteacher

Head of School Tracey Jarrett Date of previous school inspection 9–10 June 2010 Telephone number 020 8698 3112 Fax number 020 8695 1753 Email address headteacher@rangefield.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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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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