Alfred Salter Primary School

ALFRED SALTER PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 12 th - 14 th November 2001

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ALFRED SALTER PRIMARY SCHOOL

Short inspection carried out under Section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.

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ALFRED SALTER PRIMARY SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary 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. Alfred Salter Primary School - 1

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Quebec Way Rotherhithe Southwark London Postcode: SE16 7LP

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Email: shayter@easymail.alfredsalter.southwark.sch.uk

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mrs P Adenwalla

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 23 rd June 1997 Alfred Salter Primary School - 2

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Team members

30517 Michael Buckley Registered inspector 9173 Sarah McDermott Lay inspector 16773 Raminder Arora Team inspector 23466 Nick Mitchell Team inspector

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Team members

PPI Group Ltd 7 Hill Street Bristol BS1 5RW

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Team members

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be raised with the inspection contractor. Complaints that are not satisfactorily resolved by the contractor should be raised with OFSTED by writing to:

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Team members

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Alfred Salter Primary School - 3

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 4 - 7

Information about the school How good the school is What the school does well What could be improved How the school has improved since its last inspection Standards Pupils’ attitudes and values Teaching and learning Other aspects of the school How well the school is led and managed Parents’ and carers’ views of the school

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

This is a large mixed primary school with 410 pupils aged from three to eleven years, including the equivalent of 50 full-time places in the nursery. The school has grown rapidly since it first opened six years ago and there are now waiting lists for all year groups. There are roughly equal numbers of boys and girls. Sixty per cent of the pupils are white British and the only other ethnic group of any significant size is Black African (11 per cent). The school has no refugees or Travellers on its roll at present. Nineteen pupils are learning English as an additional language but most are at reasonably advanced stages. This proportion is high nationally but very low for inner London. The main languages other than English are Chinese, Vietnamese, Turkish and French. Eighty-nine pupils (23 per cent) are eligible for free school meals. This figure is slightly above the national average but below the average for

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Southwark. Altogether, 78 pupils (20 per cent) are on the school’s register of special educational needs. This figure is about the national average but it includes 32 pupils (eight per cent) who have severe difficulties and who have statements identifying the additional assistance they need. Another 20 pupils have significant learning needs. These figures are very high. Overall, these pupils have a wide range of difficulties, including hearing or sight impairment, learning or physical difficulties or difficulties to do with speech. The attainment of most pupils when they begin compulsory schooling is slightly above the local average but below the levels expected nationally.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Excellent leadership and management, consistently good teaching and the very good quality of education offered combine to make this a very effective school that provides good value for money. The quality of the school’s work was recognised last year when it won an Achievement Award for Excellence from the Department for Education and Employment. Pupils’ achievements are good and standards of attainment are at least in line with those expected nationally and often very high. The school places a strong emphasis on equality of opportunity and the inclusion of pupils of all backgrounds and abilities. Serious difficulties in recruiting teachers have resulted in the employment of six teachers whose qualifications are not recognised in this country. It is a credit to them as well as to the school that the standards of education remain as high as they do.

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What the school does well

• Excellent leadership and management by the headteacher and senior staff ensures high standards. • Excellent provision for and very good progress made by pupils with special educational needs and those learning English as an additional language. • Very good arrangements for assessment support pupils’ progress. • Very good relationships at all levels and very good quality of care for all pupils. • A very well planned and inclusive curriculum that is broad and balanced, exceeds national requirements and caters for the needs of every individual.

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What could be improved

• The school has no significant weaknesses. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school has more than achieved the targets set after the last inspection in June 1997. Direct teaching is now fully integrated into the work of the nursery and reception classes. The quality of teaching has improved since the last inspection and it is now consistently good in all year groups. There have been further good improvements in management and curriculum development to cope very successfully with the school’s rapid growth and there have been marked improvements in systems for the assessment of pupils’ progress. Overall, the school has made good improvements across all Alfred Salter Primary School - 5 aspects of its work from what was already a position of strength and it is very well placed to improve further.

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by pupils at the end of Year 6 based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

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Key

English N/A B A* A* well above average above average A B Mathematics N/A A A* A* average below average C D Science N/A A* A* A* well below average E

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Key

In 2000, the attainment of eleven-year-olds in English, mathematics and science was in the top five per cent nationally and it was also in the top five per cent when compared with schools having a similar proportion of free school meals. Since the first group of Year 6 pupils in 1999, very high standards have been maintained in science and there have been improvements in English and mathematics. The results for seven-year-olds also show improvements over time in reading, writing and mathematics and, in 2000, they were above the national averages in the last two areas and around the national average in reading. The provisional results for 2001 were not quite so good. Pupils at the end of Year 6 reached above national average levels in science and average levels in mathematics but attainment in English fell to below the national average. When compared with similar schools, the results were well above

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Key

average in mathematics and science and average in English. These results are directly attributable to the very high percentage of pupils in that year group (16 per cent) with statements of special educational need identifying their specific learning difficulties. In 2001, the results for seven-year-olds were in line with the national averages in reading, writing and mathematics. Attainment in the work seen during the inspection was well within the nationally expected levels in every year group. It was generally very high in science and at the expected levels in literacy and numeracy. The attainment of most pupils when they begin compulsory schooling is below the levels expected nationally but they achieve well and make good progress as a result of the good teaching they receive. Pupils with special educational needs and those learning English as an additional language make very good progress. The school sets challenging

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Key

targets based on thorough assessments and the pupils are well on the way to meeting them by the end of the school year.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school These are very positive. Pupils like the school and they show high levels of enthusiasm, interest and involvement in activities inside and outside school hours. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour in class and around the school is almost always good. There is almost no bullying or oppressive behaviour and there were comparatively few exclusions in the last year. Personal development and relationships Relationships are very good at all levels and pupils show a very well developed awareness of the effects of their actions on others. They show much greater respect for others’ values and beliefs than is generally seen in pupils of their ages. Attendance Slightly below the national average. Alfred Salter Primary School - 6 Levels of attendance are adversely affected by the very high proportion of pupils with special medical conditions that require them to attend hospital regularly and by the high proportion of parents who,

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Aspect Comment

despite the school’s repeated reminders, persist in taking their family holidays during term time.

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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

Quality of teaching Good Good Good Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses.

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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

The quality of teaching has improved since the last inspection and it is consistently good throughout the school. Teachers plan well and they set very clear learning objectives for each lesson. Their assessments are very good, enabling them to match work very closely to the needs of different pupils in their classes. They have a wide repertoire of approaches, including the skilful use of questions, clear explanations, brainstorming and an emphasis on problem-solving, ensuring that pupils are interested and focused. Pupils try hard, learn well and acquire knowledge rapidly. Teachers have a good knowledge of the subjects of the National Curriculum. Those teachers who were not trained in this country are very well supported and are rapidly becoming familiar with the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies. Consequently, although the pace in some classes occasionally slows, English and mathematics are

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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

well taught and literacy and numeracy are taught and used well across the curriculum. Teachers work closely with the many support staff who make very strong contributions to lessons, enabling pupils who have special educational needs and those who are learning English as an additional language to learn very successfully and make very good progress.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Very good. The school includes all pupils in its planning and the curriculum is thoughtfully constructed to meet their very wide range of academic and personal needs.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Excellent provision based on detailed assessments, very good planning and very well chosen targets. This is underpinned by the strong contribution of the support staff.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Most of these pupils are relatively fluent in English. Although formal provision is limited, they are carefully supported and set appropriate work. Their progress is well monitored.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good provision is made for all these aspects. Spiritual development is very well promoted through well planned assemblies, other planned elements of lessons and through good use of the spontaneous opportunities that occur.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Very well planned support for every child’s individual needs, both personal and academic. Arrangements for assessing pupils’ progress are very good and very well used to adapt the curriculum.

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Aspect Comment

Breadth and balance in the curriculum ensure that all subjects, including the arts, are covered very well and yet the needs of individuals are met effectively. Moral and social development is very well supported through many opportunities, such as the ‘buddy’ scheme, and by the wide variety of stimulating activities at playtimes and after school. Pupils are consulted about their views on the school – even Alfred Salter Primary School - 7 about the quality of teaching. Multicultural issues are given a great deal of attention. The community makes a very significant contribution to the work of the school. Alfred Salter Primary School - 8

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the head teacher and other key staff Excellent leadership and management. The headteacher and the senior staff have a very clear idea of what constitutes good teaching and learning and communicate it very effectively.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governing body is very strong, active and effective. It is very supportive and well informed and is playing a very important part in the school’s successful development.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Excellent arrangements for the regular review of progress at all levels. All staff and governors are involved and parents and pupils are consulted.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources The school’s many resources are deployed with great efficiency. The many support staff are very well briefed, trained and supported.

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Aspect Comment

The quality of the school’s leadership and management has secured outstanding commitment from everyone in the school to achieving excellence. The school’s aims and values are exceptionally clear and they are consistently and powerfully expressed through its daily life and work, ensuring the inclusion of pupils of all abilities and backgrounds. Arrangements for monitoring and supporting teachers are of the highest quality. Members of the leadership team are not only outstanding managers but they also provide very good role models in the classroom. Financial planning and management are very good and the principles of best value are followed well.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The school is well managed and led. • Their children like school and make good progress. • Teaching is good, expectations are high and the right amount of homework is set. • Behaviour is good. • The school works closely with parents who say that they would feel comfortable approaching staff with any questions or problems. • The school is very welcoming and parents are encouraged in. • Most parents particularly liked the way in which pupils with special educational needs are fully integrated into the life of the school. • A few parents felt that they could be better informed about their children’s progress.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Inspectors completely agree with the almost unanimously positive views expressed by the parents. Some reports do contain educational jargon that can make them hard to follow. Alfred Salter Primary School - 9

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

Excellent leadership and management by the headteacher and senior staff.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

1. The success of the school is founded on the excellent leadership and management provided by the headteacher and the other senior staff in the leadership team. The key elements in this are:

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

• the depth of professional knowledge and experience and the quality of the educational thinking that underpin the school’s philosophy and values; • the great clarity with which the basic elements of good practice are established through consultation, formally agreed, and then set out in policy documents; • the effectiveness with which they are communicated to all staff; • the willingness of the senior managers to deal with issues immediately rather than letting them drift.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

Additional outstanding features of management in this school are:

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

2. Rigorous systems of monitoring and support for teachers and support staff ensure high standards and a consistency of approach across the school. Classroom observations of each teacher are carried out regularly at least once a term by the head or the deputy and these visits are supplemented by observations by the key stage managers. Observations are recorded in detailed aide-memoires, using agreed and standardised criteria. These extensive records provide an analytical but very positive critique of teaching during the lessons seen. Recordings are discussed fully with the teacher concerned and referred to when agreeing short-term and medium-term targets for professional development and performance management. The programme of professional development is very well focused on individual targets as well as on the school’s overall needs. It provides for support staff as well as for teachers.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

3. In addition to the routine monitoring of teaching, other programmes of observations may be established with a particular focus. For example, the shortage of teachers has led to the school having to recruit staff whose qualifications were obtained abroad. In order to support these teachers and enable them to adapt quickly to the demands of the National Curriculum and the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies, additional observations have been timetabled for this term. The visits are followed not only by discussion and training opportunities, but also by opportunities for teachers to observe one of their senior colleagues conducting an exemplar lesson, for example, during a literacy hour. The co-ordinators for literacy and numeracy are also monitoring systematically this term. Furthermore, senior managers are developing a ‘scrutiny’ approach to monitoring, in which they examine closely all aspects of the classroom, from planning to resources

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

to display, to arrive at an evaluation of the overall educational experience being offered to pupils.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

4. The headteacher analyses all the information received from assessment throughout the year, particularly the results of the end-of-year tests and assessments. They then set targets for each year group in the coming year. These targets are discussed with parents at the beginning of the school year and formally reviewed with them and with the pupils at each of the termly parents’ evenings. Year group teams are required to draw up action plans showing how their targets will be met. Quantitative targets are set for each class. In addition, the co-ordinators for every subject have to draw up costed action plans in order to bid for resources at the start of the financial year. Progress towards the targets is reviewed regularly and the schemes of work are reviewed each year. The key stage managers regularly monitor teachers’ planning in all subjects.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

Communication, planning and the governors

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

5. The school has quite a large teaching staff and a very large team of support staff. Altogether, over 70 people are involved, many of them on part-time contracts. Very efficient systems of Alfred Salter Primary School - 10 communication ensure that all the staff understand what they are supposed to be doing and why and, at the same time, they help staff to feel they are being consulted about important matters and enabled to contribute to the school’s development. All the staff feel that they are part of a united team. They share common values and aspirations and are very proud of the school.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

6. A fixed schedule of meetings ensures that the leadership team meets formally once a week. The calendar of issues to be discussed and reviews to be undertaken is agreed a term in advance and all the staff know what it is. All the staff also have access to the minutes of the leadership team meetings. These arrangements help to ensure good communications and promote an open approach to leadership and management. Weekly whole staff meetings are used mainly for staff development, while the fortnightly key stage meetings are used for business and for planning and review. The headteacher or deputy and the co-ordinator for special educational needs meet the support staff as a group every half term. Every Thursday, teachers meet in year groups to review the previous week’s lessons and plan the following week’s lessons based on their evaluations. Support staff often attend these meetings but there is also a dedicated time set aside on Friday

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

mornings for support staff to meet the teachers and discuss the plans and their contribution with them. Support staff are paid to attend these meetings as part of their contracts of employment. These arrangements enable teaching and support staff to work together to meet the needs of all the pupils.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

7. The targets in the school development plan are reviewed just after Christmas each year and modified or ticked off the list. All staff are involved in the initial stages of this review. Progress towards the targets is scored on a five-point scale and the headteacher then works out an average progress score for each target. A process of brainstorming leads to a further set of possible targets being identified. These are then taken away by the leadership team and placed in priority order before being offered to the governors for further discussion. Estimated costings, time deadlines, success criteria and responsible persons are identified at this stage. This system works very well and ensures that the development plan is securely based on the school’s educational priorities and on raising standards. In addition, the leadership team review the school’s policies with all the staff every year before taking them back to the governors for debate and

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

8. The governors are very closely involved with the school. Many go into the school every day and those who chair committees are in frequent dialogue with key staff. Many governors have also observed lessons and the governor with an overview of literacy and numeracy has observed these topics being taught in all key stages. These links, together with the very detailed reports from the headteacher, ensure that governors are very well informed about the school and enable them to play a very strong role in shaping the school’s development. Minutes of meetings and discussions with governors and senior staff confirm that meetings are well attended, lively, well focused and challenging. Governors monitor expenditure very closely and the Curriculum Committee has been instrumental in developing the wider curriculum, embracing the arts and physical activities, that is such a marked feature of the school, helping to underpin its ethos of educational inclusion. Many

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

governors are active in the local community or are employed in local industry and, in this way, they contribute further by using their specialist expertise to support the school or by raising funds.

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Excellent provision for and very good progress made by pupils with special

educational needs and those learning English as an additional language.

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Excellent provision for and very good progress made by pupils with special

9. The school is recognised by the local authority as a centre of excellence for its work with pupils who have special educational needs. The headteacher and deputy are both specialists in this area and the head has been acting as a part-time adviser for Southwark. The school has appointed a full-time co-ordinator for its work with special educational needs who has no class teaching commitment. She, too, is very experienced and well qualified. In addition, the school has created the post of ‘Social Inclusion Co-ordinator’, giving a senior member of staff responsibility for overseeing the way in which pupils with emotional or behavioural needs are fully integrated into the life of the school. He is responsible for ensuring that pupils with emotional, social or behavioural problems are identified at an early stage and that individual programmes are drawn up for them. These arrangements combine to provide excellent provision for pupils with special educational

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Excellent provision for and very good progress made by pupils with special

Alfred Salter Primary School - 11 needs and also to disseminate this very high level of practice to all other areas of the school’s work.

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Excellent provision for and very good progress made by pupils with special

10. Systems for identifying and supporting pupils with special educational needs are very much in line with the national Code of Practice and the co-ordinator is working on minor modifications in the light of recent amendments to the Code. All pupils on the school’s register have individual education plans. The plans for those with more demanding needs are written by the co-ordinator after consultation with the class teacher and support staff to agree targets and strategies. All these are shared with parents. Copies of the plans, together with reviews, reports from external agencies and other relevant information, are kept in the class teachers’ planning folders. These are up-to-date, annotated and very well written, with specific targets and appropriate and manageable strategies for achieving them. Teachers and support staff are fully aware of them and modify their planning to take them into account. The co-ordinator’s own record-keeping and information

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Excellent provision for and very good progress made by pupils with special

management is excellent. The proformas for individual education plans, reviews and other relevant documentation are saved in the shared area of the school’s information and communication technology system so that staff can gain access to them from any of the computers in the school. The co-ordinator provides half a day’s training for all new staff in how to access and manage this information.

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Excellent provision for and very good progress made by pupils with special

11. The approach adapted to working with pupils who have emotional or behavioural difficulties attaches great importance to recognising the needs of the whole child. All staff have had training in how to recognise their own emotional condition in order to develop their awareness of the pupils’ feelings. External counsellors as well as the ‘Social Inclusion Co-ordinator’ help pupils learn how to deal with their anger. In classrooms, a ‘time out’ area is used for pupils who become very angry or upset. In this area, pupils write responses to a set of questions about their feelings and these are used for discussion later on, when the pupil has calmed down. This is an agreed part of the school’s behaviour policy. Staff are encouraged to set aside times for the whole class to discuss feelings and emotions and to use drama, not only to support learning, but also to rehearse different responses to difficult situations or feelings. A lunchtime ‘Fun Club’, started by the co-ordinator for

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Excellent provision for and very good progress made by pupils with special

work with special educational needs, is now run by an external counsellor. The school maintains very close liaison with parents, who are encouraged to discuss matters of concern at any time, and a specially employed counsellor advises parents on how to manage their children’s and their own anger and frustration.

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Excellent provision for and very good progress made by pupils with special

12. A wide range of support from external agencies is used very effectively. External specialists will frequently demonstrate different methods of treatment and approaches for the teachers and support staff, so that they can apply them in their day-to-day work. Specialist equipment, including a ball pool, a hoist and a stair lift, is well used and some rooms have been adapted for specialist purposes. Support staff are managed very well and used effectively. They have been given special training, for example, in handling and lifting, to enable them to work with pupils who have severe difficulties. They are fully involved in planning lessons for their pupils with the aim that their support will enable the pupils to remain in the classroom and be included in all lessons. This works extremely well in practice.

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Excellent provision for and very good progress made by pupils with special

13. The leadership team are totally committed to a coherent philosophy of integration and educational inclusion. They are very effectively implementing a range of strategies that make the philosophy a reality at all levels in the school. As a result of their excellent work, pupils with special educational needs have full access to the curriculum and are given every opportunity to succeed. Pupils learning English as an additional language also benefit greatly from the high levels of support provided. All staff and pupils are imbued with the spirit of inclusion and their responses are outstanding. For example, blind pupils are invited to play with their peers, who treat them with care and enable them to share their enjoyment. Pupils enjoy helping pupils with physical disabilities in other ways, showing them great tenderness and consideration. The school rightly believes that there are enormous benefits to be gained by everyone, staff as well as pupils, from such activities.

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Excellent provision for and very good progress made by pupils with special

The parents recognise and value the quality of relationships that this approach fosters and speak of the genuine and lasting friendships that have been formed.

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Excellent provision for and very good progress made by pupils with special

Very good arrangements for assessing pupils’ progress. Alfred Salter Primary School - 12 14. The systems for assessing pupils’ progress are very well developed and enable the school to make accurate predictions and set challenging targets. Assessments begin from the time when children first start full-time attendance in the nursery. At this point, teachers begin to make focused observations and these, in turn, inform the base-line assessments made when pupils enter the reception classes. Assessments are conducted at the end of the reception year and at the end of Year 1. Formal tests and assessments are administered according to statutory requirements at the ends of Years 2 and 6 and the standard tests and assessments developed by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority are used at the ends of Years 3 to 5.

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Excellent provision for and very good progress made by pupils with special

15. The headteacher and leadership team make very good use of the vast amount of information yielded by these assessments. Firstly, they are analysed to identify strengths, weaknesses and trends for each year group. The teachers in each receiving year group are briefed thoroughly and they are then required to produce an action plan, setting out how the weaknesses will be addressed and the strengths further developed. These are discussed with the headteacher and targets set. Progress towards the targets is regularly reviewed by the key stage managers. Secondly, the results are analysed to determine whether there are any differences between the attainment and progress of boys and girls, or of any other significant grouping of pupils, including ethnic groupings. They are also used effectively to identify any individuals who may be struggling so that they can be given appropriate attention, particularly those who may have learning difficulties

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Excellent provision for and very good progress made by pupils with special

and those learning English as an additional language. These arrangements provide a very well planned set of targets for teachers’ planning, which is supportive as well as demanding.

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Excellent provision for and very good progress made by pupils with special

16. At the beginning of the year, each pupil is set up to three targets for reading, writing and number. These are discussed and agreed with the pupils and their parents at the autumn parents’ evening, reviewed with parents in the spring and used as the basis for the end-of-year reports. All assessment findings are recorded electronically by the school and, in addition, every pupil has a ‘Record of Significant Achievement’, setting out their results. The records are also used to assist in the process of setting targets for pupils. A continuous cycle of assessment is followed by all class teachers who select six pupils from their class each week in order to monitor all their work closely. In this way, the work of every pupil in the class is thoroughly reviewed each half term. The results of this monitoring are also fed into the ‘Records of Significant Achievement’. Books are regularly marked with positive and helpful comments. In these ways, parents are kept well

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Excellent provision for and very good progress made by pupils with special

informed about their children’s progress.

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Excellent provision for and very good progress made by pupils with special

Very good relationships at all levels and a very good quality of care for all pupils.

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Excellent provision for and very good progress made by pupils with special

17. Discussions with parents, pupils and staff all reinforce the observations of the inspection team that relationships between pupils, staff and parents are very good indeed. The tone is set by the quiet, calm manner of the teaching and non-teaching staff and by the respect they show for the ideas and feelings of the pupils. The genuine care and consideration shown by staff to all the pupils, particularly those who have special educational needs, are also contagious. Pupils are taught how to listen to other people and how to express their feelings without losing control. They respond very positively to the school’s philosophy of inclusion and they treat everyone politely as equals.

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Excellent provision for and very good progress made by pupils with special

18. The formal procedures for monitoring pupils’ personal development are closely bound up with those for monitoring academic development and the school has responded to the wishes of the parents and some of the governors that personal achievements should be praised and encouraged as much as academic ones. Arrangements for child protection and for ensuring pupils’ welfare are very good. Teachers know their pupils and their families very well and parents are confident that teachers are approachable and will listen to their concerns or suggestions. The high proportion of pupils with severe special needs leads to particularly high levels of pastoral care. For example, teachers, including the headteacher and senior staff, and support staff often spend hours of their own time looking after individual pupils and liaising with outside agencies if parents or carers have not been able to collect them, for whatever reason. On occasions, parents or even pupils have

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Excellent provision for and very good progress made by pupils with special

called staff at home to ask for support, which is then willingly given. There are very good working relationships with the social services department and other relevant agencies. Alfred Salter Primary School - 13

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A very well planned and inclusive curriculum that is broad and balanced, meets

national requirements and caters for the needs of every individual.

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A very well planned and inclusive curriculum that is broad and balanced, meets

19. The curriculum meets all statutory requirements and the requirements of the locally agreed syllabus for religious education. It places an appropriate emphasis on literacy and numeracy while maintaining true breadth and balance by including personal and social education and developing a very wide range of drama and other arts work both in and out of school time. The coverage of other subjects, such as history and geography, is supplemented by being carefully planned into work in literacy and, to a lesser extent, numeracy. Teachers have developed some links between information and communication technology and work in religious education. Governors have supported the development of a wide curriculum that offers something for everyone and addresses the needs of the whole child, not simply the National Curriculum.

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A very well planned and inclusive curriculum that is broad and balanced, meets

20. The programme of monitoring means that individual needs are identified early and great care is taken to match the curriculum to those needs. Pupils are not disapplied from the National Curriculum as a matter of principle but the curriculum is often considerably modified to make it accessible to all. The work of the support staff makes this more possible. The school has a register of pupils who are identified as potentially exceptionally gifted or talented. These pupils receive additional work and, with the consent of their parents, they are sometimes moved up into the next year group. Very good links with a local secondary school enable the teachers in Year 6 to prepare their pupils for the transition and there is some sharing of planning and teaching. There are plans for some pupils in Year 6 to attend lessons in the secondary school to speed their progress. Other supplements to the formal curriculum include booster classes and catch-up

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A very well planned and inclusive curriculum that is broad and balanced, meets

activities for pupils in Year 6, additional support and teaching for pupils with more serious special educational needs, help from external specialists for particular needs and therapeutic swimming for physically handicapped pupils. There is an additional literacy programme for identified pupils in the reception class and in Year 3.

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A very well planned and inclusive curriculum that is broad and balanced, meets

21. Teachers plan activities to encourage pupils’ spiritual development, not only in assemblies, where themes, such as ‘My favourite things’, are carefully chosen for the opportunities they provide, but also in other subjects across the curriculum. In addition, they take opportunities to encourage pupils to reflect on life and death in personal and social education lessons and they encourage thoughtful and sensitive responses to events, such as the attacks on the ‘Twin Towers’ and the air tragedy in New York that occurred on the first day of the inspection. Pupils decided that it would be fitting to place a large lighted candle in the school’s foyer as a poignant reminder of these events. Special events in the calendars of world religions are celebrated on the appropriate days and parents are often invited to take part.

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A very well planned and inclusive curriculum that is broad and balanced, meets

22. Moral and social development are dealt with very effectively. This is done directly, through initiatives like the ‘buddy scheme’, where older pupils look after younger ones in the playground, or the very effective behaviour policy and the measures for dealing with bullying. There is an active school council with pupils from all year groups. Powerful and positive messages are conveyed by the inclusion policy, the very good relationships at all levels and by the effects of the school’s large and delightfully welcoming foyer, where parents, pupils and staff mingle. Cultural and personal development are very well fostered by the many opportunities for pupils to be creative and artistic and by the many bright displays around the school, celebrating achievements and raising awareness of multi-cultural issues.

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A very well planned and inclusive curriculum that is broad and balanced, meets

23. The governors have actively encouraged greater coverage of physical education and the arts and they have worked hard to support the very many extra-curricular activities that the school offers. One consequence of this is that the school is one of the few in the borough that owns its own musical instruments. Over twenty activities have been provided in the last six years and the school distinguishes between ‘clubs’, which may run on indefinitely, and ‘courses’, that are arranged for a fixed term. Activities include free instrumental tuition and lunchtime and after-school music clubs run by a musician-in-residence. In the two days that inspectors were in the school, activities included the work of a visiting drama group, violin lessons, a brass ensemble, a percussion group and a steel drum group. The curriculum is enriched further by many educational and cultural visits and through encouraging visitors, such as theatre groups, artists in residence and professional

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A very well planned and inclusive curriculum that is broad and balanced, meets

musicians, to come into the school. There are very good links with the local community. For Alfred Salter Primary School - 14 example, a local printing company supports initiatives in information and communication technology and school trips, and a sports company supports special events and provides equipment. Alfred Salter Primary School - 15

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 10

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching. Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents more than five percentage points.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 50 340

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals N/A 89

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Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 5 27

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 7 71

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 19

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 17

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 20

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Attendance

School data 4.9 School data 1.3 Alfred Salter Primary School - 16 National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5

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Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Alfred Salter Primary School - 17

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2000 18 26 44

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Boys 13 13 16 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 25 26 26

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Percentage of pupils School 86 (89) 89 (82) 95 (89) at NC level 2 or above National 83 (82) 84 (83) 90 (87)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Boys 14 16 13 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 26 25 23

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Percentage of pupils School 91 (82) 93 (87) 82 (87) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (82) 88 (86) 88 (87)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2000 17 27 44

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Boys 16 17 17 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 25 25 25

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Percentage of pupils School 93 (69) 95 (80) 95 (98) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (70) 72 (69) 85 (78)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Boys 15 16 16 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 23 25 25

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Percentage of pupils School 86 (60) 93 (62) 93 (67) at NC level 4 or above National 70 (68) 72 (69) 79 (75)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Alfred Salter Primary School - 18

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 10 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 31 Black – African heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 33 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 11.6 Financial year 2000/2001

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 29.3

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 1,372,599

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 36 Total expenditure 1,345,957

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 853 Expenditure per pupil 3,469

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 154,800

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 2 Balance carried forward to next year 181,442

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 25

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 8

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 40

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 9

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 9

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 2

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 2

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. Alfred Salter Primary School - 19

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Percentage of responses in each category

Strongly agree Tend to agree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Don’t know

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 77 23 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 68 30 0 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 54 36 2 0 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 65 26 7 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 73 25 1 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 78 21 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 68 29 0 0 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 75 25 0 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 67 27 3 0 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 70 24 4 0 2

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