La Petite Ecole Bilingue

Inspection of La Petite Ecole Bilingue 22 Vicar’s Road, London NW5 4NL

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are safe, happy and enjoy their learning. Pupils told us that they enjoy having half their lessons in French and the other half in English. Teachers’ expectations are high across the two languages. Staff work together well and help all pupils to learn a wide range of subjects. By the time pupils leave at age 11, they are ready for the challenges of secondary school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils get on very well with each other. They are keen to learn and persevere even when activities are tricky. We saw pupils’ positive attitudes and good behaviour in every lesson. Any incidents of bullying are dealt with well. Relationships between staff and pupils are positive. Pupils told us that staff listen to them and that their worries are taken seriously.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils really like Wednesday afternoons. This time enriches their personal development. They take part in activities like sports, dance, arts and yoga. Staff take advantage of the school’s central location. They make the most of London’s museums, farms and other places of interest, to enhance what happens in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are extremely positive about the school. They told us how pleased they are with their children’s achievements across all subjects in both languages.

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better?

The proprietor and leaders ensure that the school meets all the independent school standards. They make sure that the school complies with the statutory requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010.

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better?

All staff have high expectations for pupils’ learning and achievements. Over the last few years, leaders have carefully created an ambitious curriculum which offers pupils a broad range of subjects in both French and English. There is a lot to fit in. Occasionally, staff are unable to cover in enough detail all that is planned. Although pupils do not build up deep enough knowledge in some units of work, they do well overall in both the English and French curriculums.

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better?

Teachers make learning fun and interactive. Science, in particular, is well planned to include many investigations and hands-on activities. We saw how well pupils apply their understanding of the water cycle as they created their own gardens. They watched the effects of water on the growth of seeds they had planted.

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better?

Many pupils join the school part way through their primary education. Staff are welcoming and support all pupils well. They help pupils to gain the skills needed to become fluent in both languages.

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better?

From the early years to Year 6, pupils read well. The school’s phonics programme plays a significant part in supporting pupils to read and write in English. Once they 3–5 March 2020

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are fluent, pupils develop their comprehension skills using a wide variety of texts, including poetry. We saw older pupils grappling with Shakespearean language. They enjoyed the challenge of finding modern-day equivalents to different words from extracts of ‘Macbeth’.

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The French mathematics programme is slightly different to the English one. Teachers make a success of both. Pupils acquire an impressive range of effective approaches to tackling calculations and solving problems. In mathematics, as in all other subjects, teachers promote pupils’ language and vocabulary well. We saw children in the early years learning and using the language of subtraction as they built towers and ladders of cubes.

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Children in the early years are inquisitive and eager to learn. They respond to teachers’ tasks and challenges with enthusiasm. Children develop good foundations in literacy and numeracy. They learn to take turns, share and be imaginative. In the pretend post office, we saw children playing cooperatively as they prepared letters for the customers. Children develop skills across all areas of learning. Staff take children’s interests into account. For example, they ask children to choose stories and songs for the class to enjoy. Staff sometimes miss opportunities to promote children’s independence. For example, when adults complete tasks for children that the children could do for themselves, including writing activities.

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Pupils are proud of their school. They told us that staff listen to their ideas and take their views on board, including through the school council and the suggestions boxes. Pupils are respectful. They behave well. Staff are quick to sort out any problems that occur, including any rare bullying incidents. Lessons are hardly ever disrupted because everyone is focused on learning and following the rules. Staff promote pupils’ social skills effectively. Pupils work well in pairs and small groups. They share their work willingly and give constructive feedback to their peers.

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Pupils are happy here and so are the staff. Staff told us that leaders are extremely supportive. As a team, everyone works together well to provide pupils with a well- rounded education.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders understand their responsibilities in keeping pupils safe. Staff are trained in the latest statutory safeguarding guidance. They know how to report concerns about pupils’ well-being. Leaders ensure that risk assessments are used effectively in order to keep pupils safe, including visits to the playground and educational visits. Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe online. They know not to share personal information with strangers, for example. Leaders use assemblies to explain the importance of keeping mentally and physically healthy. 3–5 March 2020

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 What pupils learn in both French and English programmes is broad and ambitious. There is a lot to fit in. As a result, sometimes teachers do not have time to cover topics or units of work in depth. When this happens, pupils do not acquire a secure and deep understanding of what teachers intend them to learn. Leaders should refine the curriculum further so that it is manageable and covers concepts in sufficient depth.  Staff in the early years do not make the most of opportunities to develop children’s independence. Often, staff complete tasks for children rather than encouraging them to do things for themselves, including in writing activities. Staff should promote children’s independence in all areas of learning.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the provider and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted . 3–5 March 2020

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School details

Unique reference number 138777 DfE registration number 202/6002

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School details

Inspection number 10141192 Type of school Other independent school

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School details

Date of previous inspection 14–16 November 2017

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Information about this school

 This is an independent day school for pupils aged from three to 11 years. It is a bilingual school open to parents who wish their children to receive a bilingual, French-English education.  The school’s most recent inspection was a full standard inspection which took place in November 2017. At that time, it was judged to be good.  At the time of this inspection, there were no pupils on roll with special educational needs and/or disabilities or pupils with an education, health and care plan.  Most pupils speak English as an additional language. A significant proportion of pupils join the school mid-way through their primary education.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision. Pupils use the local park for physical education and recreation. 3–5 March 2020

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008. The purpose of the inspection 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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Information about this inspection

The school meets the independent school standards. These are the requirements set out in the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.

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Information about this inspection

 We met with the proprietor, headteacher and curriculum coordinators. We held meetings with other members of staff.  We did deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, history and science. In these subjects, we spoke with teachers, looked at pupils’ work, held meetings with pupils and visited lessons.  We observed pupils during breaktimes and during before- and after-school activities. We visited lessons taught in both the French and English.  We spoke with parents as they dropped their children to school. We also considered the 16 responses to Ofsted’s Parent View. We scrutinised the responses to the survey for staff.  We looked at a range of documentation and toured the premises to check the school’s compliance with the independent school standards.  We looked at the school’s record of pre-employment checks. We met with the designated safeguarding lead and spoke with staff and pupils about safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Gary Rawlings, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Tim McLoughlin Ofsted Inspector 3–5 March 2020

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regulates and 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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