La Chouette School

La Chouette School 17 The Mall, London W5 2PJ

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders, including the proprietors, ensure that staff and parents and carers work in partnership to support the children’s learning.  Leadership and management are good. Leaders have a positive impact on improving teaching and on how well children achieve.  The curriculum is developed well and helps children to become fluent in French and English.  Teaching, learning and assessment are good. Specialist teachers are used well to teach subjects such as the history of art and dance.  All staff have good relationships with the children and support them well in their learning.  Children’s personal development, behaviour and welfare are good. Children are confident and enjoy learning. They feel safe, know how to stay safe and behave well.  Parents are very positive about the work of the school and especially appreciate that staff are supportive. They enjoy receiving the detailed information about what children have been

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

learning each week.  Children achieve well. They make good progress from their starting points, especially in personal, social and emotional development, speaking and listening in both languages, and mathematics.  Leaders do not evaluate assessment information fully so that the progress of various groups of children can be compared. Next steps for school development are not sufficiently specific and linked to children’s achievement.  Teachers are not consistently using assessment information to provide suitable challenge for the older, most able children.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The school meets the requirements of the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 (‘the independent school standards’) and associated requirements.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen procedures for assessing the children’s progress so that, – leaders have a thorough understanding of how well groups of children are learning – next steps for school development are made specific and linked to children’s achievement – teachers and other staff make good use of assessment information to ensure that tasks provide consistent challenge for the older, most able children.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 Leaders, including the proprietors, have established a caring and supportive ethos that involves the whole school community, including parents and external agencies.  Leaders and managers understand the school’s strengths. They are keen to raise attainment and develop progress further. They ensure that all the independent school standards and other requirements are being met.  Areas for improvement identified at the time of the previous inspection have been tackled successfully. Children now have good opportunities to take the initiative in their learning and are only inattentive when they are ready for a greater challenge in their work.  The professional development and performance management of teachers is monitored carefully, and relevant training provided as needed. For example, there are plans to refresh training in phonics so that all staff are prepared for teaching an older year group from September. Leaders work closely with the local authority and a pre-school learning

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

alliance to ensure that they are supported and challenged by an external body.  There is a good sense of teamwork. All members of staff are motivated to continue extending their knowledge and skills. Relationships between staff and the children are strong, enabling all to strive to do their best.  A broad and balanced curriculum, including clubs and educational visits, has been developed. It covers elements of both the French and English early years curricula successfully. Children become fluent speakers in French and English because they are taught all areas of learning in both subjects. Children are involved well in choosing activities for the next day and the theme for the term. For example, during the inspection the theme was ‘The lion king’ because it was the favourite book of several children.  Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are promoted successfully. Children are prepared well for life in modern Britain because they have good opportunities to learn

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

about other cultures and to appreciate that everyone is important. For example, the four- year-olds took exceptional care over making intricate repeat patterns in the style of African art.  Parents are very positive about the school and typically make comments such as, ‘I like the bilingual aspect’ and ‘I like the way he is learning fast and enjoying it.’  Leaders are strengthening systems for tracking the progress of children over time so that they can analyse how well groups of children are progressing and pinpoint next steps in learning more precisely.

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Governance

 The school does not have a governing body.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The school has a suitable and up-to- date safeguarding policy published on its website. The school ensures that children are kept safe on the premises and when making visits outside of school. For example, when travelling to the park children are very well supervised and are taught how to cross roads safely. All adults working in the school are fully trained in safety matters and have been checked for suitability for working with children.  Parents are positive about the way the school works with them to keep the children safe. They typically say, ‘The school is safe and clean’ and ‘It’s safe because it is so well organised.’

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Teachers and other members of staff form supportive relationships with the children. Staffing levels are high, enabling children to receive much individual help and attention and to make good progress in their learning.  Skills are taught effectively and there is a strong emphasis on the children’s personal development, communication and language and mathematics.  Effective use is made of specialist teachers in subjects such as history of art and dance. For example, the four-year-olds were fascinated by the teacher’s enthusiastic discussion on the work of Saul Steinberg and were keen to produce their own work in his style.  All members of staff are conscientious in promoting healthy and safe lifestyles. For example, the three-year-olds were learning how to brush teeth and two-year-olds used knives and scissors with care.  Teachers keep attractive books that show each child’s learning, and these are shared with

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

parents. Parents are very positive about the information they receive on their children’s progress. They make comments such as, ‘We can see her development’ and ‘There is a clear timetable and useful weekly letters.’ Occasionally, these are not used well enough by staff to ensure that the older, most able children are provided with sufficient challenge in their learning.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote children’s personal development and welfare is good. Children’s self-confidence and self-awareness are particularly strong. Children, including the two-year-olds, are confident about making choices in their learning and are keen to share their views and ideas with adults.  Children develop well physically, with many activities being planned to help them improve their hand control, balance, strength and agility. For example, the four-year-olds crawled, jumped, balanced and rolled with control when travelling on the gymnastics equipment.  Children are supported well emotionally. They know that an adult is always willing to help them and to reassure them when needed. High levels of care are provided in school, and in the before- and after-school clubs.  Children feel safe and parents are positive about how members of staff keep their children safe. Those spoken with during the inspection were happy that their children are

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Personal development and welfare

free from any form of bullying.  Children know how to stay safe. For example, they wear sun hats and take care when walking to the local park. They understand the importance of drinking water, especially after exercise.  Leaders ensured that minor omissions in their health and safety policies and procedures were tackled during the inspection.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of children is good. Children behave well at school because they are given positive support and guidance in how to be well-mannered. For example, they are reminded to use ‘indoor voices’ if they start to talk too loudly. They learn clear routines that help them to feel secure and to gain confidence.  The small class sizes give the school a friendly, family atmosphere and children are encouraged to try hard and look after their property and school resources. For example, children place their paired shoes neatly beneath their coats in the cloakroom area and tidy up efficiently at the end of sessions.  Children are happy at school and are polite and friendly. Children work well both with adults and independently. The two-year-olds cooperate well with staff and minor disagreements and upsets with other children are handled sensitively and effectively.  Children attend school regularly and absences are due to legitimate reasons such as

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Behaviour

illness. Children arrive at school punctually and are keen to start working as soon as they arrive.  Children listen well most of the time. Occasionally, some children lose attentiveness during discussions if they are not challenged enough.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 Children make good progress from their starting points. They are prepared well for the next stage of their education and for Year 1 because they are all working at or beyond the levels expected for their ages.  Children who are learning to speak English as an additional language do so quickly. Bilingual teachers use both French and English to help children to understand and learn in both languages.  In the ‘Toute Petite’ section, the two-year-olds can recognise their names, name colours and count to five with some adult support. They are full of confidence and are keen to talk about their learning. For example, one child stated proudly, ‘I’m cutting it’ when using the dough and modelling tools.  In the ‘Petite’ section, the three-year-olds remember to include themselves when counting the children in class and can write numerals with adult support. They recognise the sounds that several letters make and manipulate tweezers and small objects well.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 In the ‘Moyenne’ section, the four-year-olds are improving their hand control effectively by writing their names and other letters. They are learning phonics and recognise the sounds that several letters make. In mathematics, they add together small numbers to make five, for example, by counting the bristles on their hedgehogs.  The most able children learn quickly in most sessions. Occasionally, they are not challenged enough in the older classes.

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School details

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

Email address office@lachouetteschool.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 10–11 December 2012

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Information about this school

 La Chouette is a small independent school catering for children between the ages of two and six years. It offers a bilingual education based on the French educational system and the English early years curriculum. At the time of the inspection all the children were in three classes in the early years provision. In some years, children join British schools for the Reception Year and Year 1. A further class is added when there are Reception and Year 1 children at the school. These then transfer to a local Lycée in the following year.  Children come to the school from a range of heritages, with most being bilingual. The home language of most children is French. There are no disadvantaged children at the school and no children are identified with special educational needs and/or disabilities.  The school provides childcare for children who attend the school, in breakfast and after- school clubs.  There are temporary arrangements for children to work outside in the local park while

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Information about this school

their outdoor area is being renovated.  The previous standard inspection was from 10 to 11 December 2012.  The proprietors are the headteacher and her husband.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed teaching and learning in 11 lessons, most of these jointly with the headteacher and leader of early years provision.  Discussions were held with leaders and other members of staff.  The inspector held informal discussions with several parents. There were too few responses to Ofsted’s survey, Parent View, to be published.  The inspector looked at samples of the children’s work in all classes.  A range of information supplied by the school was checked, including the school’s own information about children’s outcomes, planning documents and checks on the quality of teaching. The inspector also looked at the school’s development plan and records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding procedures.  The inspector checked that the school complies with the independent school standards by holding discussions with members of staff, checking the premises and scrutinising

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Information about this inspection

relevant policies and documents held by the school, including documentation related to safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Alison Cartlidge, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 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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Inspection team

Parent View 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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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