Wohl Ilford Jewish Primary School

Ilford Jewish Primary School Inspection report - amended

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102847 Unique Reference Number Redbridge Local Authority 323702 Inspection number 14 May 2009 Inspection date Ruth McFarlane Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The registered childcare, managed by the governing body, was inspected under section 49 of the Childcare Act 2006.

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Primary Type of school Voluntary aided School category 3–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 252 School (total) 0 Government funded early education provision for children aged 3 to the end of the EYFS 24 Childcare provision for children aged 0 to 3 years The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Daniel Carmel-Brown Chair Mrs Roz Levin Headteacher 5 July 2006 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Carlton Drive School address Ilford IG6 1LZ 020 8551 1431 Telephone number 020 8551 4295 Fax number

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3–11 Age group 14 May 2009 Inspection date 323702 Inspection number

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Amended Report Addendum

Following a complaint the following amendment was made to the report: in the Overall Effectiveness section 'The headteacher and her supportive assistant headteacher bear heavy loads because the headteacher acts as assessment coordinator and the assistant headteacher acts as a class teacher and is also the Early Years Foundation Stage leader.' has been amended to 'The headteacher and her supportive assistant headteacher are committed to raising standards. They bear heavy work loads because the headteacher acts as assessment coordinator and the assistant headteacher acts as a class teacher and is also the Early Years Foundation Stage leader.'

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Amended Report Addendum

This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Amended Report Addendum

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. 2 of 9 Inspection Report: Ilford Jewish Primary School, 14 May 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors. Inspectors evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues:

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Introduction

■ how well pupils achieve in English and mathematics

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Introduction

■ how effectively teaching drives the progress of each individual pupil

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Introduction

■ the quality and consistency of guidance and support provided to help pupils to make progress.

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Introduction

Evidence was gathered from observations of lessons, analyses of pupils' work, performance data, parents' questionnaires and the school's documentation. Inspectors also held discussions with pupils, parents, staff and governors. Other aspects of the school's work were not investigated in detail.

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Description of the school

This school is of average size and serves the Jewish community. The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage and a significant minority are from other White backgrounds. Very few pupils are at an early stage of learning English. The proportion of pupils who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities is well below average. Most of these have moderate learning difficulties, behavioural, emotional and social difficulties, or need additional support to help them develop their speech, language and communication. The Early Years Foundation Stage offers registered childcare for 24 two-year-olds who are accommodated in 'The Gan', and places for 112 children aged three to five in the Nursery and Reception classes. Currently, there are 33 children aged three to four years who attend Nursery on a part-time basis, and 30 children aged four to five years who attend Reception full-time.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 9 Inspection Report: Ilford Jewish Primary School, 14 May 2009

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Grade: 3

Ilford Jewish Primary School provides a satisfactory education for its pupils. Its strongest element is the vibrant religious ethos firmly embedded in Jewish values. The emphasis on daily Jewish studies and Tefilla (Jewish Prayer) enriches the good curriculum and is reflected in pupils' highly developed spiritual and cultural awareness. Parents are generally supportive of the school. Several commented on their appreciation for the Jewish values promoted, but some feel that the school has not dealt effectively with disruptive pupils. Inspectors agree. Although behaviour around the school is usually good and in collective worship it is exemplary, in lessons some teachers tolerate disruptive behaviour. Overall, pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good and their personal development is satisfactory. Pupils are knowledgeable about how to stay healthy, and they take part in the good opportunities for exercise. Most feel they can turn to adults when needed

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Grade: 3

and this helps them to feel safe. Attendance is broadly average. Pupils participate appropriately in the clubs and activities offered. They enjoy taking responsibility but younger pupils have limited opportunities because the school council is restricted to Year 6 pupils. Satisfactory basic skills in numeracy, literacy and information and communication technology prepare them satisfactorily for their futures. Pupils' achievement is satisfactory from their individual starting points, whatever their background, gender or ability. Children get off to a good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Last year's National Curriculum assessments show that pupils in Year 2 achieved satisfactorily overall to reach average standards in reading and mathematics and above average standards in writing. In Year 6, standards were broadly average in mathematics and science and above average in English. Overall, these results represent satisfactory achievement. Pupils'

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Grade: 3

current work in English and mathematics shows that attainment is in line with age-related expectations in Years 2 to 6 although some pupils make slower progress in mathematics in Year 3 and in English in Year 6. However, improvements to the teaching have begun to address this, resulting in these pupils making better progress recently. Teaching is satisfactory overall, although for several reasons it is not fully effective in driving up standards more rapidly. Tasks for the more able are often not challenging enough. Teaching does not always do enough to develop pupils' independent learning skills so that, for instance, they are not routinely guided to find things out for themselves to extend their learning. One lesson where this worked well was in a Year 2 discussion about planning a piece of writing. Here, pupils were encouraged to refer to books in the classroom to develop their understanding of the effect of a windy day. Some good lessons were seen, which were vibrant with good

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Grade: 3

questioning and interactive work with talk partners, and this is an improvement since the last inspection. The curriculum provides good opportunities to learn. An interesting range of additional activities and cross-curricular projects are included. Links with the community, especially with the local Jewish high school, enrich and enhance pupils' experiences. The quality and consistency of guidance and support provided to help pupils to make progress is satisfactory. Useful systems are in place for assessing ability, measuring progress and setting targets for improvement. The information is used by managers and teachers but targets emerging are not consistently given the necessary priority by all staff. Teachers' marking is inconsistent, rarely identifies what pupils need to improve and sometimes does not take account of pupils' 4 of 9 Inspection Report: Ilford Jewish Primary School, 14 May 2009 targets. As a result, pupils sometimes find it hard to understand how to make progress. Pastoral

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Grade: 3

care is good throughout the school. Safeguarding requirements are securely in place. Leaders focus successfully on the strong promotion of Jewish culture and values to which pupils respond so positively. Leadership and management are satisfactory overall. All those with leadership responsibilities carry them out conscientiously, but key tasks are not distributed widely enough. The headteacher and her supportive assistant headteacher are committed to raising standards. They bear heavy work loads because the headteacher acts as assessment coordinator and the assistant headteacher acts as a class teacher and is also the Early Years Foundation Stage leader. The impact of this is that the good initiatives to raise achievement through target setting, and to improve the quality of teaching, have not yet made an impact on standards because time to check implementation in the classroom has been limited. Cultural

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Grade: 3

diversity weeks contribute to the school's satisfactory work to promote community cohesion, giving pupils a brief flavour of several communities and cultures in local and wider areas. The school improvement plan identifies suitable priorities, but school self-evaluation currently portrays too rosy a view of the school's effectiveness. Governance is good. Governors are strongly committed to the school's success and have good control of the finances. They have developed effective links with departments and subjects to improve their knowledge of the school's strengths and weaknesses. Taking this into account, along with the satisfactory action which has been taken to deal with the issues of the last inspection, the school has satisfactory capacity to improve.

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Grade: 2

Childcare for the under-threes is good and children continue to make good progress in Nursery and Reception. By the end of Reception, most have achieved well from their starting points, reaching standards in some of the Early Learning Goals that are higher than those expected of five-year-olds. Children's personal development is good. The linked resource areas for 'The Gan', Nursery and Reception offer a stimulating learning environment which, together with the good teaching evident, helps children learn and develop well. Assessment is ongoing, meeting individual needs. A kaleidoscope of indoor and outdoor activities, and opportunities during adult-led and child-initiated activities, reinforce and extend children's learning in relevant and meaningful ways. The Early Years Foundation Stage leader provides good leadership, well supported by able staff who manage the provision effectively. Planning is good. Children's

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Grade: 2

welfare is carefully promoted, so that children understand the need for good hygiene and healthy eating. All the requirements for childcare and the Early Years Foundation Stage are met. Staff are enthusiastic and caring and they enjoy good partnerships with parents and other groups. As a result, children enjoy their happy and secure environment.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve the quality of lessons by improving behaviour management, providing more challenging tasks and more independent learning opportunities for pupils. ■ Ensure that feedback and target setting consistently help pupils to improve their work.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Distribute leadership responsibilities more widely to accelerate improvements in teaching and learning. A small proportion of the schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory but which have areas of underperformance will receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Ilford Jewish Primary School, 14 May 2009 .

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What the school should do to improve further

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 of 9 Inspection Report: Ilford Jewish Primary School, 14 May 2009

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Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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needs of learners?

Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well being? 3 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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EYFS?

2 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 2 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 2 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 2 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

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Achievement and standards

3 How well do learners achieve? 3 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 3 How well learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make progress

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Achievement and standards

1 Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 7 of 9 Inspection Report: Ilford Jewish Primary School, 14 May 2009

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 3 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 3 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 3 The attendance of learners 3 The behaviour of learners 3 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 3 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education 3 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 3 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 3 How well does the school contribute to community cohesion? How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 8 of 9 Inspection Report: Ilford Jewish Primary School, 14 May 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

01 June 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of Ilford Jewish Primary School,Ilford,IG6 1LZ We really enjoyed our recent visit to your school. Thank you for helping us. We enjoyed being shown around and hearing about the school, as well as visiting the classrooms and looking at your work. You attend a satisfactory school. This means some things are good and some things need to improve. You learn a lot from all the religious activities in school. You take time in the day to think about things in your assemblies, thinking about how other people are feeling. You enjoy the lively curriculum activities and opportunities. You find most lessons interesting and this helps you to learn, so that by Year 6 most of you are doing as well as other children of your age. In those lessons where you know your targets, your work improves faster, but some of you are not sure of how to improve your work and we have asked the school to help you a bit more

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

with this. Though your behaviour is good around the school, it isn't good all the time in lessons. See what you can do about this because it is slowing down your learning. We've asked the school to help you with this as well. We've also asked teachers to give those of you who find learning easy some harder tasks to make you think a bit more. Your school leaders are very busy and we have asked them to share out more widely the many jobs that help you to improve. You can help by continuing to be interested and involved in all the school has to offer. You can also help by doing the best you can for your teachers. Yours faithfully Ruth McFarlane Lead Inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Ilford Jewish Primary School, 14 May 2009

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