L'Ecole de Battersea

School report L’Ecole de Battersea Trott Street, Battersea, London, SW11 3DS

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding 1

Leadership and management Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Early years provision Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings

 The leadership and management of senior leaders are outstanding. Together with the proprietor, they ensure that all of the independent school standards are met.  A rich and stimulating French and English curriculum ensures all the required areas of learning are well met, including for pupils’ personal, social and health education and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Consistently good, and often outstanding, teaching in French and English inspires pupils to engage fully in their learning and to make exceptionally good progress from their starting points.  Pupils begin school with varying levels of knowledge and skills in French and in English. They make rapid progress in literacy and numeracy because teaching matches their learning needs well.  Pupils with any language, learning difficulties or disabilities are well supported, and make rapid progress because their needs are identified and

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Summary of key findings

well met.  Pupils behave exceptionally well in lessons and around the school. They say that they feel safe at school and parents agree. Parents are highly satisfied with the school.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage settle well and make great strides in their learning because they are well nurtured and cared for.  The proprietors, who are a visible presence in the school, provide unstinting support for the senior team. Together, they ensure that all policies and procedures are fully implemented and that the welfare, health and safety of the pupils remain a priority.

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

 The school meets schedule 1 of The Education (Independent School Standards) (England) Regulations 2010, as amended 2014 (‘the independent school standards’) and associated requirements.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection was carried out with one day’s notice.  The inspectors observed the impact of 21 lessons, looked at pupils’ work, teachers’ planning and information about pupils’ progress.  Meetings were held with the proprietors, the Principal, headteacher, senior leaders, teaching staff and pupils.  School policies and other documentation were examined including for safeguarding, attendance and behaviour.  The inspectors took account of the responses in 15 staff questionnaires.  The inspectors took account of 81 responses to the online Parent View questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Flora Bean, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 L’Ecole de Battersea is an independent day school for boys and girls aged from three to 11 years. The school opened in 2005 in south-west London and is part of l’Ecole des Petits Ltd, established in 1977.  The school aims ‘to provide the best possible all-round education and care for pupils’. In addition, it ‘puts strong emphasis on its French/English bilingual context and aims for all pupils to be immersed in both cultures and to become fluent in both tongues before they leave’.  The school is a bilingual ‘école homologuée’, which means that it is formally recognised as a French school and must follow the French curriculum. Pupils have automatic right of entry to the AEFE French schools network (for example Lycée Charles de Gaulle, CFBL, Lycée International Winston Churchill).  The curriculum is taught in French and in English.  There are currently 253 pupils on roll. The majority are French. There are a further 28 nationalities

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Information about this school

represented, including a sizeable number of British pupils.  For 130 pupils, English is not their principal language.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage, there are 38 children aged three to five years. All children attend full time.  There are currently no pupils with special educational needs and no pupils with a statement of special educational needs.  The school’s previous Ofsted inspection was in November 2011.  The French inspectorate inspects the school annually.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Enhance further the quality of the good and often outstanding teaching by:  providing more opportunities for teachers’ professional development, by teachers gaining experience from high quality examples of teaching in other schools.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The school is exceptionally well led and managed by the Principal, headteacher and head of English curriculum. They are the senior team of the school. Together with the proprietor, they ensure that all of the independent school standards are met.  The senior team sets consistently high expectations for the personal development and academic achievement of pupils, including early years children. Working tirelessly with teaching staff; the senior leaders drive the school so that the highest standards in the quality of the teaching and learning and in pupils’ behaviour are sustained.  Senior leaders monitor teaching systematically to ensure that teaching remains consistently outstanding. Leaders ensure that the impact of lessons taught in French and English enables rapid progress in both languages, so that pupils are enabled to learn well.  The curriculum is richly imaginative and innovative in its use of cross-curricular themes to link relevant

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The leadership and management are outstanding

subjects. It is exceptionally well planned; detailed schemes of work give due emphasis to literacy and numeracy for Years 1 to 3.The school has been granted exemption by the Department for Education from the early years learning and development requirements. Nevertheless, all areas of children’s learning and development are exceptionally well planned. This ensures that children are well catered for and make exceptional progress when learning in French and in English. Extra-curricular clubs and societies contribute well to pupils’ overall development.  Personal, social and health education consistently includes the teaching of respect and tolerance for others. Pupils learn to understand democracy and the principles of equality of opportunity, enhancing their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Pupils develop a secure understanding of both British and French values. Pupils are highly confident, but their spiritual awareness, although good, is less

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The leadership and management are outstanding

well developed. Teachers are already aware of this and are working on ways to make improvements, for example by introducing a short pause when everyone meets together as a school to develop pupils’ ability to reflect.  The school’s assessment procedures are highly effective. Ongoing constructive dialogue between leaders and teaching staff ensures that progress is well monitored. Teachers meet regularly with senior leaders to discuss any underachievement. The progress of pupils is checked regularly to identify any pupils with difficulties. Pupils are given one-to-one support to ensure any gaps in learning are addressed and they are enabled to make rapid progress in their learning.  The welfare, safety and security of pupils are a priority. All policies and procedures are effectively implemented and updated as required, to ensure that the quality of provision is of the highest calibre. Policies are well communicated to parents via the school’s website and are also available on request from

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The leadership and management are outstanding

the school in hard copy.  Arrangements for safeguarding are rigorous and meet statutory requirements. Staff are trained appropriately, including the designated safeguarding lead. All required checks are carried out for the suitability of staff to work with children. These checks are recorded accurately on the school’s single central record.  Parents and carers receive detailed termly reports on the progress of their children and have regular opportunities to discuss any concerns.  Parents are unanimous in their appreciation of staff support for their children and would recommend the school to others.  Staff questionnaires unanimously show that all enjoy working at the school and feel well supported. However, they would like to have opportunities for further professional development outside the school.  Procedures for the handling of complaints meet requirements.  The school has few middle management roles. Those with responsibility for subject specialisms support

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The leadership and management are outstanding

the leadership and management of teaching and learning exceptionally well.  The proprietors and senior leaders have ensured that all the independent schools standards are met.  The governance of the school: The proprietors have sole responsibility for governance of the school. They are highly committed in their duty of care and oversight of the school for pupils’ academic achievement. The proprietors ensure that the well-being and safety of pupils are a priority. This is highly evident in the rigorous implementation of all policies and procedures, and in their commitment to maintain the highest standards in all aspects of the school’s work. The proprietors wholeheartedly support senior staff as they strive to maintain the high calibre of teaching and learning for pupils’ benefit. There is a clear performance management system for staff, in line with the French system, which monitors teaching and rewards outstanding performance in

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The leadership and management are outstanding

teaching. The premises are light and bright, with attractive displays of pupils’ work. The school provides a comfortable working environment for staff and pupils, with a small but well used outdoor space for play. Financial resources are managed appropriately. The school provides well for pupils so that they benefit from their time and experience in the school. The proprietors drive and sustain the high quality and high expectations of the school. Pupils are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage of their education. Those who wish to continue their education in the British system are highly successful in achieving places in competitive independent schools. Pupils leave the school able to communicate well in French and English, and thus the proprietors fulfil the aims of their school.

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Behaviour

 Pupils’ behaviour is outstanding. The school sets the highest expectations for behaviour and, as a result, pupils know what is expected of them and respond extremely well. There is no disruption in lessons.  From the youngest nursery children to those in Year 6, pupils are polite, courteous and respectful of each other and the adults who work with them. They are mature in their attitudes and work exceptionally well together. They have a clear understanding of the expectations in lessons and around the school and, as a result, a convivial atmosphere prevails. This has a strong impact on their ability to achieve well in all aspects of their work.  Pupils’ attendance is well above average. Pupils enjoy coming to school and are punctual. They learn to be responsible young people, well prepared for life in Britain or elsewhere in the world.  The school has an extensive range of policies in place which are effectively implemented to ensure that

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Behaviour

the promotion of extremism in political views is prohibited.  All the independent school standards are met.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils’ safe and secure is outstanding. As a result, pupils feel safe and parents are very confident that their children are well looked after. The school’s safeguarding policy is up to date and available to parents on the school’s website.  Arrangements for the safeguarding of pupils, including in the early years classes, are rigorous and meet statutory guidance. All staff, including the designated lead for safeguarding, are appropriately trained, including in e-safety. The school ensures the suitability of staff through the required checks which are appropriately recorded.  Pupils regularly use computers in their learning.Teaching staff work hard so that pupils have a clear awareness of how they can remain safe from bullying including any form of cyber bullying. The school’s work in e-safety is exemplary and every effort is made to ensure the highest levels of safety and security.

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Safety

 Key staff are suitably trained in first aid and fire safety.  The school’s systems and procedures to ensure pupils are safe and secure are highly effective. Staff work hard to ensure that pupils feel safe in the school.  The proprietor has ensured that all the independent school standards for welfare, health and safety are met.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 The quality of teaching is consistently good, and often outstanding. There is compelling evidence that this has long been the case. Teachers engage pupils exceptionally well and support them fully to make rapid progress in their learning. As a result, pupils develop high levels of confidence, are eager to learn and encourage each other remarkably well in lessons.  Teachers have a clear understanding of pupils’ starting points, particularly in their knowledge and skills in using French or English. Through regular monitoring in lessons and of pupils’ work, any gaps in pupils’ knowledge in French, English and mathematics are identified. Teachers work with pupils to ensure any hurdles are overcome. As a result, learning progresses well and pupils build their knowledge and understanding of key subjects.  Teachers have excellent subject knowledge and plan extremely well collaboratively to ensure that learning

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

is well organised for pupils in both French and English. Teachers’ expertise and skill in ensuring that pupils’ language learning in French or English is consistently developed across the curriculum are of high quality.  For literacy development, teachers work very successfully with all pupils and especially with younger pupils to ensure they are making good progress in reading and writing in both languages.  Teachers provide help with English or French as an additional language when required.  In mathematics, there is an effective focus on developing conceptual understanding, reasoning and problem solving. Ongoing thorough assessment ensures any gaps are being covered. Mathematical concepts are carefully explained so that pupils practise different skills until they are firmly understood. This was evident in lessons observed, for example in a lesson where pupils applied their knowledge and skill in long multiplication and division with success.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Ongoing checks on pupil progress are thorough and accurate for all subjects. Teachers record pupils’ progress and use this effectively to plan next steps. The curriculum is extremely well planned but, within this, planning opportunities are created to allow for teachers to be flexible, ensuring pupils’ thorough understanding before moving on to the next stage of learning.  Teaching is monitored well by senior teachers to ensure the highest standards are maintained. Senior leaders work successfully with teaching staff to ensure that they are preparing pupils well for the next stage of their learning.  Teachers report that they would like to have more professional development outside the school to enhance their experience and this is recognised by the school as a target of its improvement plan.  Leaders have ensured that all the independent school standards for the quality of teaching are met.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils achieve exceptionally well. They are eager to learn and develop excellent reading, writing and communication skills. They expect to be challenged and to work hard because teachers’ planning engages them fully in an extensive range of activities across all subjects.  Children join the school with knowledge and skills that are broadly typical for their age. As a result of outstanding teaching and accurate assessment, they make rapid progress in French and English. Pupils adapt seamlessly to learning in French or English as a result of the high quality and effective planning and the consistent approach of teaching staff.  Outstanding support in lessons from teachers and their assistants encourages children’s self-confidence and self-esteem so that children continue to make rapid progress from their starting points. Pupils enjoy learning and support each other exceptionally well when working in groups.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Those who are most able are effectively challenged through well planned work in numeracy, and opportunities to extend their work in reading and writing. This increases their range of vocabulary and fluency in French and in English.  Work is well planned in numeracy and literacy and ensures pupils achieve exceptionally well. In mathematics, pupils make rapid progress from their starting points to increase their mathematical understanding and reasoning of concept and number.  In literacy, pupils make rapid progress through regular opportunities to read, to discuss their work and to extend their writing. For example, in a lesson observed, pupils discussed mass production of clothes as opposed to the production of single garments from the 19th century story they were reading of a young girl who worked making silk for precious garments.  Results in all year groups show that the majority of pupils, including those for whom English is the second

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

language, achieve well above expected levels of attainment in literacy and numeracy and in reading and writing. Pupils’ written work demonstrates excellent skills in free writing, with a strong focus on imaginative vocabulary, handwriting and presentation skills.  Pupils achieve well above expected levels of attainment in literacy and numeracy by the end of Year 6. Scrutiny of a selection of pupils’ past and current work demonstrates an exceptional range and volume of work covered, with overall outstanding progress across all subjects and year groups.  All the independent standards are met for the achievement of pupils.

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The early years provision is outstanding

 The school been granted exemption for all aspects of the Early Years Foundation Stage from the DfE so that they can follow a French and English bi-lingual curriculum. The curriculum is planned to ensure that all the required areas of learning are covered and children are developing exceptionally well in all areas in both French and English. All areas of learning are covered, including the development of pre-literacy and numeracy skills. There is a strong focus on children’s personal and physical development, which is proving very effective in ensuring that children get on well together at work and play as well as with adults.  In the Nursery class, children make rapid progress in their personal development. Through teaching methods which include well planned topics, music, dance and other well-established learning routines, children quickly grasp basic sounds, numbers and new vocabulary.  In the Reception class, a continuing focus on the development of pre-literacy and numeracy skills

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The early years provision is outstanding

supports rapid progress. Creative and imaginative lessons in art, drama and dance, linked to literacy and numeracy, develop children’s skills and confidence further. Children are eager to participate and learn well.  Those who speak English as an additional language make rapid progress. Teaching ensures explanations and instructions are clear so that children understand what is expected of them. Those with special educational needs make good progress.  The quality of the teaching is consistently good. Teaching provides an imaginative and stimulating environment for children through a range of well-organised activities. For example, in the Nursery, children enjoy exploring the topic ‘under the sea’, and make good progress in acquiring related vocabulary. Work is planned so that children learn in the bi-lingual setting where they are exposed to French and English simultaneously. They make rapid progress in their learning and quickly begin to

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The early years provision is outstanding

understand linguistic differences.  Teachers know the children well and set appropriate activities and challenges based on curriculum planning and accurate assessment. Ongoing checks on their progress ensure that should any child require any specialist help this is quickly arranged.  Children behave well, demonstrating that they feel safe and secure at school. They integrate and interact well with each other and with teaching staff. They are learning how to stay safe.  They play happily within a relaxed and colourful space, which is well resourced for creative and imaginative play and acquisition of skills.  The school works closely with parents and carers so that parents are well informed and receive relevant information regarding the well-being and safety of their children.  Senior leaders have an accurate understanding of the early years setting and monitor the provision well. Staff are well qualified and experienced to ensure excellence in all aspects of their work.

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The early years provision is outstanding

 Children are well prepared to move on to Year 1, where pupils demonstrate high levels of confidence and eagerness to learn.  The proprietors ensure that all the independent standards are met for the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Grade Judgement

Grade 1 Outstanding Grade 2 Good Grade 3 Requires improvement Grade 4 Inadequate

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Grade Judgement

Detailed grade characteristics can be viewed in the Non-association independent school inspection handbook which is published on the Ofsted website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/non- association-independent-school-inspection-handbook .

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School details

Unique reference number 135277 Inspection number 463316 DfE registration number 212/6411 This inspection was carried out under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008, the purpose of which is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school.

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School details

Type of school Day School status Independent school Age range of pupils 3−11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 252 Number of part time pupils 0

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Principal

Mme Frédérique Brisset Headteacher Mr Laurent Balerdi Date of previous school inspection 24−25 November 2011 Annual fees (day pupils) £10,515-£10,710 Telephone number 020 7924 3186 guidance 'Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . 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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Principal

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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Principal

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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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Principal

inspects to 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 and 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit

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Principal

www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our website for news, information and updates at https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/user .

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Principal

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

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