Fleecefield Primary School

Fleecefield Primary School Brettenham Road, Enfield, London, N18 2ES

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils achieve well. Good teaching helps them to make good progress across the school. Pupils’ attainment is broadly average by the end of Year 6.  Children receive a good start to school life in the Early Years Foundation Stage where they are taught well.  Across the school, pupils improve skills quickly in most lessons because teachers expect them to work hard and not waste time. Teachers make learning enjoyable and get on very well with their pupils.  Pupils behave well and are polite and courteous. They thoroughly enjoy school and show good respect to each other. They feel safe and have great confidence that staff will sort out worries quickly.  Good leadership and management by the headteacher, other senior leaders and the governing body have helped the school to improve quickly.  Teaching is much improved since the previous inspection and pupils’ attainment is rising. National test results at the end of Year 6 were

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

the best ever in 2013.  Leaders use information on pupils’ progress very thoroughly to identify those who need extra help. Additional support for these pupils, both in and out of lessons, ensures that they quickly catch up with others.  Parents are very happy with the work of the school and support it well.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 More-able pupils make slightly slower progress in writing than in reading and mathematics because there are missed opportunities to move on their learning more quickly in literacy lessons.  When pupils are learning about letters and the sounds they make (phonics) differing needs are not always met well enough, slowing the pace at which skills improve.  Middle leaders (teachers in charge of subjects or with responsibility for other aspects of the school’s work) have too little responsibility for checking the quality of teaching or looking at pupils’ work.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 23 lessons. Eight were joint observations with the headteacher or deputy headteacher. In addition, inspectors made a number of short visits to lessons.  Meetings were held with pupils, members of the governing body, members of staff and a representative from the local authority.  The inspectors took account of the views of 40 parents who responded to the online questionnaire (Parent View). The inspectors also talked to some parents at the start of the school day.  The inspectors observed the school’s work, heard some pupils read, and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s own information about pupils’ learning and progress, planning and monitoring documents, the school development plan, records relating to behaviour and attendance, and safeguarding information.  The inspectors analysed 52 questionnaires from staff.

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Inspection team

Mike Capper, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Jane Richmond Additional Inspector Juliette Jackson Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger-than-average-sized primary school.  Pupils come from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds, with the largest group being Turkish speaking. Around three quarters of pupils speak English as an additional language.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are taught in the Nursery and two Reception classes.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs who are supported through school action is above average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also above average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium (additional government funding given to the school for specific groups of pupils including those known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after by the local authority) is high.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the progress of the most able in writing by ensuring that that they are always challenged well enough in literacy lessons.  Organise phonics lessons more effectively so that groups are not too large and differing needs are met more closely.  Give middle leaders more responsibility for visiting lessons and looking at pupils’ work so that they can play a bigger part in driving improvement.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils achieve well. When they start school, very few children are working at the expected levels. From these low starting points, pupils make good progress across the school. Pupils’ attainment has been rising rapidly over the last two years and is now broadly average in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  Children make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Speaking skills improve particularly quickly because adults constantly check children’s understanding of new vocabulary and take every opportunity to encourage them to talk about what they are doing. This means they are well prepared for starting the more formal learning of the National Curriculum when they enter Year 1.  Good progress is maintained in Key Stages 1 and 2. By Year 6, most pupils read confidently and they carry out increasingly complex calculations in numeracy lessons. More-able pupils are challenged well in mathematics and some reached the level expected of a 14-year-old in national

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The achievement of pupils is good

tests at the end of Year 6 in 2013.  Across the school, pupils write for a range of purposes and they do so enthusiastically. However, more-able pupils make slightly slower progress in writing than in reading and mathematics. They are not always given enough challenge in literacy lessons, slowing the pace at which skills improve.  Pupils’ knowledge of phonics improves steadily rather than rapidly. Consequently, pupils do not always spell accurately and attainment in the national phonics screening checks at the end of Year 1 is below national average. Progress in phonics is best in Year 2 where pupils are taught in smaller groups than elsewhere.  Pupils who are supported though the pupil premium make good progress. Their attainment is higher than their peers nationally. The attainment gap between eligible pupils and others at the school was less than a term in English and mathematics in national tests at the end of Year 6 in

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The achievement of pupils is good

2013. This success has been achieved through the good use of individual and small group support that is well focused on individual needs.  The school successfully promotes equality by ensuring that all groups, including those from minority ethnic backgrounds, do equally well. Disabled pupils and those who have special educational make good progress, benefiting greatly from high quality support outside lessons.  Pupils with English as an additional language attain at least as well as others by the end of Year 6. They make particularly good progress in learning spoken English, even if they have been in school for only a short time.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is typically good and it is sometimes outstanding. Pupils develop positive attitudes towards learning because teachers get on well with their pupils and ensure that they can work without fear of failure.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage, there is a good balance between indoor and outdoor learning and between child-initiated activities and those planned by adults. Teachers give children good opportunities to choose for themselves where they are going to work. The strong focus on developing early literacy skills is seen in the way that teachers include talk in all activities, helping to get children ready for more formal learning in Key Stage 1. Teachers check that children with English as an additional language are fully involved in activities. Bilingual support staff use their skills well to teach new words to these children.  In Key Stages 1 and 2, teachers make learning interesting, using resources such as netbooks

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The quality of teaching is good

well to bring subjects alive and to motivate pupils. Teachers expect pupils to work hard and behave well. There is a good pace to learning in most lessons; where teaching is outstanding, questioning is used particularly well to move learning on quickly. Teachers ensure that pupils with English as an additional language improve their speaking skills quickly by checking that they understand what is being taught.  Throughout the school, pupils read regularly to adults and teachers use this to guide improvement. In phonics lessons, teachers make good use of song and actions to introduce new sounds, but groups are sometimes too large. Consequently, differing needs are not always met well enough.  Teaching assistants have a good effect on pupils’ learning, especially when working with disabled pupils or those with special educational needs. They are well informed, supporting pupils sensitively both in and out of lessons so that they do not become over reliant on adult

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The quality of teaching is good

help.  Teaching is not outstanding because there are a few occasions when work does not provide enough challenge for the most able in literacy lessons. Teachers’ marking of work often gives pupils good guidance about the next steps in their learning, but this good practice is not seen in every classes. In contrast, pupils are all given targets and they say these are helpful as ‘it means we know what we have to do to improve’.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are proud of their school and are enthusiastic learners. There is a delightful atmosphere in lessons because pupils willingly try new activities without fear of failure; this is one of the main reasons why they learn quickly. As one pupil commented, ‘It doesn’t matter what happens, you should always try.’  Relationships between pupils and adults are a real strength of the school. Pupils respond well to the high expectations of staff and behave well nearly all of the time. However, behaviour is not outstanding because pupils sometimes become inattentive when they are not being taught by their usual teacher. In the Early Years Foundation Stage, children are independent and persevere well.  Pupils feel safe. There are few recorded incidents of bullying and pupils say that if it does occur it is ‘sorted out very quickly’. Pupils know that there are different types of bullying; for example, they talk knowledgeably about cyber bullying and how to avoid it.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school promotes equality and tackles discrimination very effectively. Newly arrived pupils settle quickly into school. Pupils keenly take responsibility through a wide range of different responsibilities by, for instance, being play leaders or road rangers.  Most pupils attend school regularly and arrive on time. Rates of attendance are broadly average. The school does its utmost to reduce absence with a wide range of promotions, such as having ‘attendance ambassadors’ and certificates for good attendance.  The school focuses well on encouraging healthy lifestyles and promoting pupils’ well-being. Pupils enjoy physical activity and feel that opportunities have improved since the recent appointment of a new coach who works with teachers. This is being partly funded by the new primary sports funding (additional government funding to support the development of school sports) and is already improving the skills of teachers and helping to extend opportunities for

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The leadership and management are good

 Good leadership has helped the school to improve rapidly since the previous inspection. There has been a relentless drive to improve teaching and the benefits of this are now being seen in rising attainment across the school. Planning to make the school even more effective is perceptive and reflects the high expectations of senior leaders.  The headteacher has tackled rigorously weaknesses in teaching. Good use is made of systems for managing and improving teaching, as well as training that is matched well to individual need. This support and challenge have helped to improve teaching so that it is now consistently strong across the school. Many middle leaders are new to their roles but they are developing their skills quickly. However, they do not yet have enough opportunities to visit lessons or to look at pupils’ work so that they have greater involvement in driving improvement and identifying any

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The leadership and management are good

inconsistencies in provision across the school. This currently remains a task carried out mainly by senior leaders.  The local authority has given good support to the school and this has helped to secure good improvement in areas such as the teaching of mathematics.  The curriculum (subjects and the topics taught) successfully promotes pupils’ basic skills as well as their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Visits and clubs provide pupils with many memorable experiences outside lessons. The successes of former pupils are celebrated and help to raise aspirations by showing current pupils that anything is possible if you work hard. Pupils show good respect for each other and they are aware of the need to help those less fortunate than themselves and of their own rights and responsibilities by being UNICEF ambassadors.  The governance of the school:  Governors have improved their skills considerably through training that has extended their

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The leadership and management are good

understanding of their responsibilities, including how to analyse data on pupils’ progress. Visits to schools and meeting with leaders are helping governors to become less reliant on information from the headteacher as they begin to find out more for themselves. This means that they have an increasingly secure understanding of how well the school is performing in comparison to others. The governing body knows where teaching is strongest and how teaching has been improved since the previous inspection. They set challenging annual objectives for the headteacher, which are monitored effectively. They ensure that only good teaching is being financially rewarded. The governing body checks that the pupil premium is used to good effect as part of their wider financial monitoring. They talk confidently about how it has successfully closed the gap between the attainment of eligible pupils and others. Governors are diligent in ensuring that safeguarding arrangements meet requirements and

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The leadership and management are good

they fulfil all their other statutory responsibilities.

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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 101990 Local authority Enfield Inspection number 425539

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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 480 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Elpida Theophanous Headteacher Antoinette Goldwater Date of previous school inspection 26–27 January 2012 Telephone number 020 8807 7899 Fax number 020 8807 1998 Email address office@fleecefield.enfield.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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