Edinburgh Primary School

Edinburgh Primary School 97 Queens Road, Walthamstow, London, E17 8QR

p.1

Overall effectiveness

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

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  This is popular and growing school with an extremely welcoming ethos. Despite the growing number of pupils, it has retained its family atmosphere.  Pupils achieve well because teaching is good and sometimes outstanding. Children make outstanding progress in the Reception classes due to excellent teaching. Staff make learning fun. As one parent said, ‘What the school concentrates on is the joy of learning.’  Pupils enjoy a very wide range of activities, within and beyond the school.  Most pupils make good progress and many make even more rapid progress.  Pupils’ behaviour around the school and in lessons is exemplary. Their eagerness to learn is outstanding.  Pupils enjoy coming to school and feel extremely safe and well cared for.  Pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is outstanding. Pupils know right from wrong and are very willing to reflect and support each other very well.

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Parents speak very highly of the school and say that their children feel extremely safe. They appreciate the extent to which the school goes out of its way to support both them and their children.  Leadership is outstanding. The headteacher, staff and governors share a common and ambitious vision for the school, its staff and the community. Leaders are working very successfully to improve the quality of teaching further.  There are very good systems in place to ensure that any weaknesses identified can be quickly rectified. Planning for improvement is robust and based on good evidence.  Governors support and challenge the school well. Finances are very well managed and the site is safe and secure.

p.1

It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Not enough teaching is outstanding. The most able pupils are not always given work that is challenging enough and, at times, marking does not give pupils clear advice on how to improve.  Standards in writing, whilst improving, are not yet high enough.

p.1

Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited 25 lessons or parts of lessons; two of these were observed jointly with senior leaders.  Discussions were held with pupils, the headteacher, governors, the senior leadership team, middle leaders, a range of other staff and a representative of the local authority.  Account was taken of the 35 returns in the online questionnaire, Parent View, and the views expressed by parents in informal discussions at the beginning of the day.  Inspectors visited the breakfast club.  A wide range of documents was scrutinised including information about pupil progress, the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plan, minutes of governing body meetings, child protection and health and safety policies, racist incident and behaviour logs.  Inspectors also examined work in pupils’ books and in displays and listened to children read.  Inspectors examined completed 29 questionnaires from members of staff.

p.2

Information about this inspection

 The inspection coincided with the celebration of Eid ul Adha. As a consequence, there were far fewer pupils than normal over the two days.

p.2

Inspection team

John Sweet , Lead inspector Additional inspector Raminder Arora Additional inspector Allan Barcroft Additional inspector

p.2

Information about this school

 Edinburgh Primary is much larger than the average-sized primary school.  Over 90% of the pupils come from a wide range of minority ethnic heritages. Around 80% speak English as an additional language. More than 40 languages are spoken by the families of pupils at the school.  The proportion of pupils supported through the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for children in the care of the local authority and pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is above average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported at school action is above average. The proportion supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also above average.  The school moved from the old site in Edinburgh Road in 2011 and is now housed in a new building.  The school has tripled in size since the previous inspection. A large proportion of pupils join or

p.3

Information about this school

leave the school at other than the usual times, with some arriving mid term at the very early stages of learning English.  There has been a significant growth in the staff since the last inspection and many are new. The current headteacher was appointed in 2011.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set minimum expectations for attainment and progress.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching so that more is outstanding by: − making sure that work planned for the most able is always challenging enough − ensuring that all marking offers pupils clear advice about what they need to do next in order to improve − giving pupils regular opportunities to respond to teachers’ written comments.  Further raise standards in writing by: − giving pupils purposeful activities to practise their writing across a range of subjects.

p.3

The achievement of pupils is good

 Children join the Reception class with skills that are generally much lower than is typical for their age, particularly in speaking and writing. Many children arrive at school at the very early stages of learning English. However, their physical development and listening skills are good and they make rapid progress in all areas of learning due to the outstanding provision arranged by a dedicated staff team.  Standards in reading, writing and mathematics in Key Stage 1 have typically been below average. However, there was a significant improvement in all areas in 2013, with many more pupils achieving the expected standard.  In 2012, the number of pupils who met the standard expected in the Year 1 check on phonics (letters and the sounds they make) was close to the national average; in 2013, scores were significantly higher. This is due to the high quality teaching of phonics to the youngest children.

p.4

The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress because of the very effective teaching they receive in lessons and the specific support programmes arranged by the inclusion team. Staff often go the extra mile to support the most vulnerable. As a result, they make similar progress to their peers and in some cases more rapid progress.  Pupils for whom English is an additional language make good or outstanding progress because the adults who work in the school are very skilled in finding ways of communicating with these pupils and ensuring that they can access the learning. Pupils who arrive at the school with little or no English are rapidly assessed and, if necessary, receive additional support from specialist staff. These pupils are quickly helped to acquire enough English to participate in lessons.  Pupils in Key Stage 2 make at least the progress expected of them and many make even more

p.4

The achievement of pupils is good

rapid progress. The school tracks the progress of all pupils very carefully and has high expectations about the progress they should make.  Attainment at Key Stage 2 in reading, writing and mathematics has improved over the last few years. Scores in the new spelling and grammar test in 2013 were very high.  Pupils eligible for pupil premium funding achieved standards that were at least as good as their peers at the end of Key Stage 2 in writing and mathematics, and attained even better in reading. The school’s own information on achievement confirms that these pupils make progress that is at least as good as that of their classmates.  Reading is very well promoted in the school and pupils spoken to during the inspection were enthusiastic and committed readers. They have a good grasp of phonics, are able to self-correct and most read aloud with confidence.

p.4

The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils are eager to learn because teachers are skilled in using a range of strategies to motivate and engage them. Role play, visual aids, actions, repetition and technology are all used to good effect. This approach is particularly helpful for pupils for whom English is an additional language, as well as disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, but greatly benefits all and is a major factor in the development of pupils’ excellent behaviour and attitudes to learning. This was clearly apparent in a Key Stage 1 assembly where the pupils were learning a new song, with every single pupil being fully involved and learning.  Teachers provide plenty of opportunities for pupils to talk to each other about their learning. Adults regularly ask pupils a range of questions to make them think or to help them formulate their answers in sentences. They also discuss the language needed for particular subjects, which

p.4

The quality of teaching is good

ensures that pupils have the technical language needed to talk about their learning.  Staff have high expectations of what can be achieved and pupils work hard in lessons. Pupils respond extremely well to the approach adopted by the staff and relationships are excellent.  Teaching assistants make a strong contribution to learning across the school. Sometimes they teach groups within classes or lead specific groups needing additional support, for example in learning letters and sounds. In all cases, they are an increasingly effective workforce because they work as part of a supportive team and are generally well trained.  During lessons, teachers make sure that pupils are aware of what they are about to learn. Often teachers discuss the ‘steps to success’ with the pupils so that they know what they have to do to be successful. However, the work set for the most able pupils is sometimes too easy for them

p.4

The quality of teaching is good

and limits their progress.  The basic skills of literacy and numeracy are taught systematically across the school and recent initiatives to improve writing are beginning to lead to improvements. There is less evidence of the use and reinforcement of writing skills across the full range of subjects and, as a result, pupils’ achievement in writing is not as high as that in reading and mathematics.  Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage is outstanding. Teachers plan a range of exciting and stimulating activities which enable pupils to learn through play, such as searching for mini- beasts. They also work with small groups on specific activities. During the inspection, adults were observed talking to pupils about different faiths and cultures while making greetings cards for Eid.  Marking is regular and often detailed. It gives pupils feedback about their work and is generally encouraging. However, it does not always give pupils clear enough directions to what they need

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

to do next in order to move to the next level or target, and the pupils do not have enough opportunities to respond to teachers’ written comments.  The vast majority of parents who responded to the online questionnaire, Parent View, agreed strongly that their children were taught well and made good progress.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils’ eagerness to learn is outstanding. In lessons and in conversation, they are full of curiosity. There is an extremely warm and welcoming atmosphere which encourages questioning and a spirit of discovery. Pupils are increasingly able to work independently because this has been a focus for improvement and adults expect them to think for themselves.  Conduct around the school and in lessons is typically outstanding. This is underpinned by a policy which emphasises rights and responsibilities and results in pupils taking responsibility for their own behaviour.  There have been no exclusions in recent years because the school deals extremely well with challenging behaviour and prefers to work constructively with families and other agencies to find solutions.  Pupils say that bullying is not an issue in school and the most serious instances they could recall amounted to no more than name calling. As a result of this, and the concerted efforts made by

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

staff and governors to ensure that the site is secure, they feel extremely safe in school.  All of the parents who responded to the Parent View survey agreed that their children are safe in school and happy at the school.  School records confirm that there are very few incidences of poor behaviour, racist incidences, or serious accidents.  Any pupils who may have particular problems are very well supported by the staff, and if necessary by the inclusion team. School records illustrate how vulnerable pupils have been extremely well supported through some very tough times and been enabled to continue their education.  Pupils have a very good understanding of what bullying is, and the different forms it can take, because the school has regular sessions to discuss bullying and keeping safe on the internet. Key messages are reinforced in lessons and assemblies.  Pupils greatly enjoy coming to school, are positive about the subjects they learn and about the

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

range of activities and trips that take place. Pupils spoken to during the inspection could not think of anything that would significantly improve the school. They think ‘it’s great already!’  Relationships in the school are characterised by high levels of respect for all the adults in school and for each other.  For their age, pupils have an excellent understanding of different faiths and cultures. They appreciate the differences in ability and background that make each person unique. They understand that there are times when individuals may need support and help and that there is no stigma attached to this. They respect and value each other’s differences and know that any sort of discrimination is not tolerated at Edinburgh Primary School.  Attendance has been low in the past, but has improved significantly in recent times as a result of the various initiatives that the school has put in place. Many of the recorded absences occur

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

when pupils are off for religious reasons or when visiting family abroad.

p.6

The leadership and management are outstanding

 The highly respected headteacher provides inspirational leadership for staff, pupils and the community. She has high expectations for all and is exceptionally clear about how the school should function. She is very well supported by some very talented and committed senior leaders. Together, the team has a great mix of experience and enthusiasm and this is leading to tangible improvements in achievement and the quality of teaching.  This clarity of vision percolates through many aspects of the school’s work and results in clear policies and a straightforward and honest appraisal of the work of the school. The procedures in place, school self-evaluation, the monitoring of teaching and pupil progress mean that the school is able to swiftly identify areas needing improvements and make adjustments. These systems have been crucial at a time of enormous growth for the school and ensured that new members

p.6

The leadership and management are outstanding

of staff are quickly and effectively inducted into the ‘Edinburgh way’. As a result, the capacity to improve is outstanding.  There are good systems for managing staff performance, securely linked to pay awards.  Teachers support each other well in developing new skills. A number of new staff, including newly qualified teachers, were enthusiastic about the support and guidance they had received since starting at the school.  The leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage are outstanding. The team has created a wonderfully vibrant and stimulating learning environment in the Reception classes. The members are very skilled in ensuring that children are quickly settled into school life and that they are well prepared for the transition into Key Stage 1.  The curriculum is enriched by a wide variety of extracurricular activities, educational visits and visitors to the school. These, in addition to the routine learning opportunities, lead to pupils’

p.6

The leadership and management are outstanding

outstanding social, moral, spiritual and cultural development. This is a strength of the school.  The local authority knows the school well and has considerable confidence in the leadership team. It has provided appropriate support, in the form of a school improvement consultant, during this period of transition.  The provision for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is managed very well through a joint approach involving the inclusion team and class teachers. The staff responsible track each pupil’s progress meticulously to make sure that at least good progress is maintained. The school is vigilant in supporting all of its pupils, meeting their diverse needs and ensuring their safety and well-being. Current safeguarding requirements are fully met.  The school has sensibly decided to spend the new school sports funding to develop the skills of the staff in teaching a range of sports, in partnership with a local sports community group. This

p.6

The leadership and management are outstanding

term there is also a focus on football, with a large number of pupils taking part.  The school has an excellent partnership with parents. All of the parents who responded to the Parent View survey said that they would recommend the school to another parent.  The governance of the school:  The governing body is very well led by an experienced governor who has a good first-hand knowledge of the school and has overseen the move to a new building and the recent growth in pupil numbers.  Governors are well informed about the work of the school. Visits are regularly undertaken and reports written using a common format. These reports and minutes of meetings show that governors have high expectations of the school and ask searching questions which challenge the leadership team. In addition, they receive regular reports about pupil progress and the quality of teaching. Governors have a secure understanding of the school’s performance in

p.6

The leadership and management are outstanding

comparison to that of other schools.  They have recently been involved in a comprehensive review of the pay policy and understand that staff are not eligible for a pay rise without evidence of good performance. They also set rigorous targets for the headteacher as part of her performance management.  They know how the money given to the school through the pupil premium grant is used to enhance the teaching of eligible pupils and what the impact has been. This year, they have allocated additional funds to support all pupils needing additional support.

p.7

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

p.8

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.

p.8

School details

Unique reference number 103053 Local authority Waltham Forest Inspection number 425624

p.9

School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.9

School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4−11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 570 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Tom Goodall Headteacher Jane Harris Date of previous school inspection 26−27 November 2008 Telephone number 020 85096180

p.9

Fax number

Email address school@edinburgh.waltham.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 .

p.9

Fax number

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.

p.10

Fax number

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

p.10

Fax number

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

p.10

Fax number

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’.

p.10

Fax number

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

p.10