Ripple Primary School

Ripple Primary School Suffolk Road, Barking, IG11 7QS

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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 Requires improvement 3

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

 While most pupils make expected progress, too few do better than this.  More-able pupils do not all make the progress they could because work is sometimes too easy for them.  Standards were well below average in reading and writing in 2013 by the end of Year 2 and the end of Year 6.  There is not enough good teaching to accelerate pupils’ progress. Teachers do not all have the same high expectations of what pupils can achieve.  Pupils do not routinely write extended pieces of work in different subjects.  The teaching of phonics (the sounds that letters make) is not always accurate.  Marking does not consistently show pupils how to improve their work.  Checks on the quality of teaching have not focused enough on the progress of different groups of pupils.  Subject team leaders are not sufficiently involved in checking what goes on in classrooms.  Leadership from governors has not driven improvement rapidly enough or consistently

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

held the school’s leaders sufficiently to account. This was also the finding of a recent external review of governance.

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The school has the following strengths:

 Achievement has improved rapidly in mathematics and standards are average.  Children get off to a good start in the Nursery and Reception classes.  The school’s inclusion team supports families facing difficult circumstances extremely well.  Pupils in the Acorns additionally resourced provision achieve well.  Pupils new to the school make rapid progress in learning English.  Pupils supported by specialist staff and teaching assistants make good individual progress.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 45 lessons or parts of lessons, almost all jointly with the headteacher or other senior leaders.  The inspection team heard pupils read and, with the headteacher and deputy headteachers, looked closely at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors looked at a wide range of school documents, including development plans, policies, self-evaluation reports, monitoring files, safeguarding and curriculum materials, evidence of the school’s partnership work and information for families.  Meetings were held with groups of pupils chosen at random. Discussions were held with senior leaders, subject leaders, teachers and other staff, the Chair of the Governing Body, the vice chair and another governor, and a representative from the local authority.  The inspectors considered 36 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, and the school’s own survey of parents and carers.  The inspectors considered the 64 staff questionnaires that were completed.

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Inspection team

Nick Butt, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Kerry Rochester Additional Inspector Nicholas Rudman Additional Inspector Tusha Chakraborti Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is much larger than the average-sized primary school. It occupies two sites about half a mile apart. Much building work has been done to accommodate all the pupils.  There are 33 classes and four Nursery classes. The school roll continues to grow and will become fully five-form entry by 2015.  Most pupils come from a wide variety of minority ethnic backgrounds. A high proportion of pupils speak English as an additional language. An increasing number of pupils join the school speaking no English.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium (which provides additional funding for children in local authority care, those known to be eligible for free school meals and those from service families) is well above average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is above average. The proportion supported at school action plus, or with

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Information about this school

a statement of special educational needs, is below average.  Many more pupils than usual join and leave the school outside normal times.  The school provides an additionally resourced provision for pupils with special educational needs in the form of a base for up to 12 pupils at risk of exclusion from across the borough. This is known as ‘Acorns’.  The school shares its site with a privately run pre-school, which is inspected separately.  There has been a recent restructuring of the senior leadership team.  The school meets current government floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching to good or better by making sure that:  the work is difficult enough for all pupils, especially the more able  all teachers have the same high expectations of what pupils can achieve  teachers make regular checks on learning in lessons to move on quickly pupils who are doing well and to tackle any misconceptions.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise achievement in reading and writing by:  giving pupils more opportunities to write at length across different subjects  improving teachers’ skills in teaching phonics so that it is always taught accurately  making sure marking clearly shows pupils how to improve their work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management so that:  checks on the quality of teaching and learning are rigorous and focused especially on the progress of different groups of pupils  subject team leaders are directly involved in checking teaching in classrooms  the new approach to analysing data is fully secured across all year groups  governors fully carry out their action plan following the recent external review, with a particular focus on driving improvement rapidly and holding school leaders to account.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement requires improvement because standards in reading and writing are too low and teaching is not consistently strong enough to speed up pupils’ progress, including many from minority ethnic groups.  Children join the Nursery with skills at well below the levels typically expected. They achieve well in the Early Years Foundation Stage because routines are up and running quickly, relationships are very positive and stimulating activities promote children’s basic skills. This means that children settle quickly and can concentrate well on their tasks.  Despite children making good progress, standards by the end of Reception are a little below age-related expectations in language and number but in line with expectations in physical development. This is because the outdoor areas are well resourced and used well, an improvement since the previous inspection.  Progress in Key Stages 1 and 2 requires improvement because too few pupils exceed expected

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

progress in reading and writing in particular. More-able pupils sometimes find work too easy and are not moved on to something more demanding quickly enough.  Progress in reading is not good because there are inconsistencies in the teaching of phonics. Teachers do not always make clear to pupils how they can sound out new words accurately. This was reflected in disappointing Year 1 results in the phonics screening check. However, older pupils enjoy reading and say there is a good variety of interesting books in the well-resourced and organised school library.  Achievement in writing requires improvement because pupils do not have the chance to write regularly at length in different subjects such as science and history. This means the scope of their writing is somewhat limited. An emphasis on correct grammar, punctuation and spelling is, however, having a positive impact on the accuracy of their writing.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 A large number of pupils join different year groups throughout the year speaking no English and often with no prior experience of education. A large number also move away from the school so the school’s impact on their learning is not reflected in test results.  Pupils new to the school speaking little or no English make good progress because good quality support is tailored to their individual needs. These are identified and addressed as soon as the pupils arrive.  Pupils have made rapid progress over time in mathematics. In 2013, standards by the end of Year 6 were average representing good achievement. This is because skills are taught systematically from year to year building up a good body of knowledge for pupils, which they apply well to solve problems.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress in mathematics because they are well supported in lessons. Pupils’ progress has improved this year

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

in reading and writing because teachers are identifying their needs earlier and giving support sooner. Teaching assistants have benefited from good quality coaching in working with groups and individuals.  The progress of pupils supported by the pupil premium is similar to that of their classmates. The gap in attainment between eligible pupils and the others in the school was over one term below in reading and mathematics but there was no gap in writing. This is better than the national picture and reflects the use of the additional funding on extra teaching and support to help pupils make the most of their time in school.  Pupils in the Acorns additionally resourced provision make good progress, especially in their social development, as staff have a very good understanding of how to create the conditions that will help them to learn rapidly.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching does not make enough demands on all pupils, particularly the more able. Teachers do not keep a close enough eye on how well pupils are learning in lessons to move on rapidly those who are succeeding and to catch those who are falling behind. When they plan lessons, teachers do not make sufficiently clear how the learning of different groups of pupils is going to be boosted. This means too many end up doing the same work.  The school has improved teaching, but there is not enough good teaching to ensure that more pupils exceed expected progress.  Teaching assistants work well with groups of pupils and individuals and ask searching questions. This enables disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs and those at the early stages of learning English to keep up with their classmates.  Mathematics is generally taught well, resulting in good progress over time. Pupils are given the

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

strategies and skills to solve problems and get a good grounding in key vocabulary. This enables them to apply their knowledge successfully, as when Year 4 pupils used different measures to find out the lengths of objects.  Teaching is good in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Activities are planned to extend children’s learning. For example, children chose to label shapes on their own. They have plenty of opportunities to develop their writing skills, for example linked to their knowledge of the ‘Red Riding Hood’ story.  The use of specialists for teaching music and sport gives pupils rich experiences and enables them to perform to a high level. The school’s Samba drummers have performed at venues in this country and abroad, and cricket and football teams have won regional tournaments.  All staff follow the school’s marking policy, but it is applied unevenly, especially in giving advice to pupils about how to improve their work. Some of the comments are not specific enough to

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

make a difference to pupils’ learning. Books show that teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve vary across subjects and between classes.  In the Acorns additionally resourced provision, pupils receive consistently good teaching in a stimulating and nurturing environment. Routines are well established and this helps pupils to focus on their learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour is good in class and around the school. Pupils are keen to learn and take every opportunity to get involved, working well together with a partner or in groups. Even when tasks are not that demanding, most pupils work through them conscientiously and have positive attitudes.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils report very little bullying, and are very confident that any problems will be dealt with promptly. Parents and carers who responded to Parent View and the school’s own survey also expressed overwhelming confidence in the way the school keeps their children safe and does not tolerate any discrimination.  Pupils have a good understanding about e-safety and how to guard their personal details. They know how to keep themselves safe in an inner-city environment. They are clear about the dangers of illegal drugs.  Pupils are polite and friendly. They understand how the school’s behaviour policy works and

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

enjoy being rewarded for good conduct. They are keen to take responsibility. The school council requested that a big clock should be erected in the playground so that pupils could make sure they were punctual for lessons and it worked a treat.  Attendance has risen rapidly in the past year and is now above average. This is evidence of the growing success of the attendance coordinator and the social inclusion team in working with potentially vulnerable families.  Behaviour and safety are not outstanding because occasionally pupils become distracted when the work is too easy or too hard for them, and do not always take a pride in producing their best work.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders, managers and governors have not ensured that teaching is consistently good and this means that not all pupils achieve well and that standards in reading and writing are too low by the end of Year 6.  The headteacher had considerable additional responsibilities managing a major building project as part of the expansion of the school, and this reduced the amount of time he could devote to securing rapid improvements in teaching and learning.  Following a restructuring of the senior leadership team, when roles and responsibilities in managing such a large school were made clear, all leaders and mangers are working very well together and the school is improving more rapidly.  The headteacher and senior leaders have steered the school through a period of very rapid growth and have successfully maintained its caring harmonious ethos, where all pupils are valued as individuals.  Despite the school’s size, leaders have built a cohesive and stable staff team who are fully

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The leadership and management requires improvement

committed to their vision of excellence for all. The school is fully inclusive, ensures equal opportunities and has very effective systems to support families, particularly those facing difficult circumstances. This has had a very positive impact on pupils’ attendance and behaviour.  In the past, checks on teaching have not always focused in enough detail on the progress made by different groups of pupils. A revised tracking system is helping staff to measure progress more rigorously and this is resulting in needs being identified more promptly and support being given more efficiently. The improvements in the progress of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are an example of this.  Subject leaders have a clear understanding of strengths and points to develop in their areas but have not been directly involved in checking the impact, for example, of training on teaching in classrooms.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding well through the performing arts, assemblies and sport. Staff reflect the cultural diversity of the school and celebrate with pupils all their different traditions and heritage.  The primary school sports funding is being spent on coaching, equipment, a wide range of sporting opportunities and new sports such as handball. This is resulting in increased participation by pupils, a high level of performance and a positive impact on their health and well-being.  The local authority is holding the school’s leaders and governors to account well, and providing a good level of support in making accurate judgements about its performance, as well as putting it in touch with other schools as examples of best practice.  The governance of the school:  Governors commissioned an external review of their effectiveness, the results of which have

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The leadership and management requires improvement

been reported recently. They accept that they have relied too heavily on the school to lead and support them in the past, and have not challenged school leaders enough. Not all governors, including those in leading positions, have sufficient grasp of their evolving roles and responsibilities as the school expands. However, some key new appointments bring expertise and experience to the governing body and are helping to focus its work on understanding pupils’ progress and the quality of teaching. This is bringing about rapid improvement. Governors are increasingly well informed about the management of teachers’ performance and the way this links pay rises to how well pupils are doing. They know what the school is doing to tackle underperformance. They ensure that safeguarding arrangements meet all requirements.

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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 101198 Local authority Barking and Dagenham Inspection number 432332

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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 1,074 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Linda Luby Headteacher Roger Mitchell Date of previous school inspection 14–15 October 2010 Telephone number 020 8270 4670 Fax number 020 8270 4673 Email address office@ripple.bardaglea.org.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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