St Edward's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

St. Edward’s C. of E. Primary School

Dates of inspection: 27-29 November 2000

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St. Edward’s C. of E. Primary School

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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St. Edward’s C. of E. 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. St. Edward’s C. of E. Primary School

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Havering Drive Romford Essex

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body at the school

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Reverend S.J. Waine

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 4 – 7 November 1996 St. Edward’s C. of E. Primary School

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Michael Hewitt Registered inspector Geography Science [aspect 2] Sarah McDermott Lay inspector [aspect 1] [aspect 2] [aspect 3] John Grove Team inspector [subject 1] [aspect 1] [subject 2] [subject 3] Glenys King Team inspector [subject 1] [aspect 1] [aspect 2] [This table should list all team members and also indicate, in the subject column, the team member with responsibility for co-ordination the inspection of under fives, special educational needs, equal opportunities and, where relevant, English as an additional language.]

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Wandsworth Borough Council The Professional Centre Franciscan Road London SW17 8HE

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

The Registrar Inspection Quality Division

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE St. Edward’s C. of E. Primary School

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT [ ]

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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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? [ ]

The school’s results and achievements Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

St. Edward’s C. of E. Primary School for pupils aged 3-11 is voluntary aided with a roll of 705 including 86 part-time nursery pupils. Five per cent are from ethnic minority families. The school assesses 18 per cent of the pupils as having special educational needs; three with statements of special educational needs. The attainment of the pupils on entry to the school is generally good. A very small number of pupils have English as an additional language. Around four per cent of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is below the national average. The school draws from many parishes over a wide geographical area and is often over-subscribed.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

St. Edward's is a very good school. It is a very caring community built upon a strong Christian foundation. All members of staff are committed to high standards. Standards of attainment are high and have improved. The teaching is good across the school. The leadership and management of the school are generally sound with some very good features. The school provides very good value for money.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well • The climate for learning is outstanding. • The pupils enjoy school, are eager to learn and are very well behaved. • Standards in the end of key stage National Curriculum tests are high. • Effective early years provision with an excellent nursery. • Pastoral care is strong. • Flair and imagination in the use of funds to improve the school’s accommodation and resources. • Provision of a very good range and quality of activities out of lessons. • Achievement in swimming is excellent.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved • Monitoring and evaluation is not effective in checking teaching quality and whether plans for school development are working properly. • Organisation to ensure consistent approaches to teaching and learning across the school. • Insufficient challenge for the gifted and talented pupils. 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 was last inspected in November 1996. Improvements include rising standards in English, mathematics and science as well as information and communication technology. There are more detailed schemes of work to assist teachers to build upon pupils’ previous learning as they progress through the school. There is a comprehensive curriculum policy and a policy for health and safety which is fully implemented. Parent helpers and volunteers receive training and guidance, courses attended by teachers are evaluated but the planning of inservice training does not fully balance teachers’ personal needs with the needs of the school. The school’s marking policy is not followed. Some marking includes helpful comments to assist pupils to improve their work but there is inconsistent practice across the school and it is sometimes unclear how pupils should respond to their errors. There has been insufficient

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

improvement in provision for the higher attaining pupils. Overall, in the four years since the last inspection, improvement has been satisfactory. St. Edward’s C. of E. Primary School

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by 11 year olds based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

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STANDARDS

Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

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STANDARDS

English A A A A well above average above average A B mathematics C B A B average below average C D science B A B C well below average E

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STANDARDS

Standards are consistently high when compared with all schools. English is a particular strength. Starting from an above average level, the trend of improvement has been broadly in line with the national trend since 1996. Standards for seven year olds have been generally well above average in recent years. However, some pupils do not make as much progress as might be expected in their junior years when compared with their standards in mathematics and science as seven year olds and when compared with similar schools. The school exceeded its targets for 2000. Current standards in the work seen are high.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attitudes to the school Outstanding. All pupils are extremely enthusiastic and make the utmost of learning opportunities.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good. Pupils have very high levels of self-discipline and are keenly aware of the impact of their actions on others.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Personal development and relationships Pupils are exceptionally mature and sensible at all times.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

These are a major strength of the school. They demonstrate the very high quality of expectations and example within the school, reflected by the pupils’ response. St. Edward’s C. of E. Primary School

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-11 years

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Lessons seen overall 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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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Particular strengths are the teachers' subject knowledge, their setting of clear objectives for, and shared with, pupils in each lesson, the management of pupils and the constant pace in the work. The pupils acquire knowledge rapidly and show great interest in their work because they are clear what they are doing and feel very well supported. Sometimes there are insufficient opportunities for pupils to be creative and engage in practical activities. Teachers planning does not sufficiently acknowledge the range of attainment in classes which, in particular, impedes the progress of gifted and talented pupils. Some teachers' marking gives insufficient guidance on how pupils can improve their work. Generally, teaching is good across the school, including the teaching of literacy and numeracy, but some inconsistencies occur across the classes within a year group. 30% of the teaching was very good or better with 97% satisfactory or better. Only one lesson was unsatisfactory.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum Very good. Very broad with extra-curricular activities, visits and visitors providing many valuable insights into the wider world. Short sessions sometimes restrict pupils’ depth of study

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. The support provided is well organised and of a high standard .

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Early intervention and extra support enable pupils to make similar progress to everyone else.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Strong Christian values assist in the excellent provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development. Sound cultural development but there is insufficient preparation to assist pupils to live in a multicultural society.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its pupils Very thorough support for all aspects of pastoral care, built on a strong Christian foundation.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Many strengths which contribute to the school’s positive atmosphere and to pupils’ learning. St. Edward’s C. of E. Primary School

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher has created an excellent climate for learning supported by the whole school community. Daily routines operate very effectively. The co-ordination of subjects and of year teams does not ensure consistent approaches to teaching and learning.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Effective. Holds the school accountable for standards but insufficiently involved in the drawing up of the school’s development plan and then monitoring its progress.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s evaluation of its performance Unsatisfactory. Limited and irregular with insufficient impact upon practice with a subsequent weakness in planning for improvement.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources Very good financial planning. Resources are generally well directed and used to secure improvements in standards and in the quality of the school.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The governing body is very supportive and members are regularly involved in the life of the school. Current approaches to monitoring and to school development planning are restricting the school’s search for improvement.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved • High standards of pupils’ work. • Very good behaviour. • Good teaching. • Help given to children to become mature and responsible. • Positive attitudes of the pupils. • Communication between school and home. • Information on how their children are progressing. • Range of activities outside lessons. • Inconsistent practice in setting homework.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

The inspection team concurs with all the positive comments of the parents. In spite of some recent parental concerns on the short notice given about the removal of the afternoon playtime for junior pupils, the school is working well with parents for the benefit of their children’s education. Information on school matters is good. Parents are consulted well on such areas as the school development plan, the anti-bullying policy and the home-school agreement. Parents particularly appreciate the Friday morning surgery. Most parents feel that the school gives a sympathetic reaction to their suggestions. However, they are justified in concern about the information they receive on how their children are progressing. Although there are termly consultation meetings for parents to meet the class teacher, written reports are not consistent in giving unambiguous information on how pupils have progressed in their learning over the year.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

The range and quality of activities provided for pupils outside lessons is a strength and compare extremely well with the number and variety of clubs normally provided by primary schools. The amount and frequency of homework is appropriate but sometimes there are unclear messages and inconsistent practices. St. Edward’s C. of E. Primary School

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

The climate for learning is outstanding. 1. On entering the school pupils, parents and visitors receive a warm welcome, enhanced by the large welcome notice on the nearby corridor wall. The school's aim, to achieve a happy, fulfilled community, is evident everywhere. The school is populated with smiling faces. There is a sense of being somewhere special, re-inforced by the display of atrefacts - the old engraved foundation stone of a former site and the "charity statues" in the entrance hall, together with the Honours Book (1937 - 1945) within the resources library and the strong lively faith and Christian values which permeate the school. A positive atmosphere is maintained and re-inforced throughout the school. The headteacher and chair of governors, Vicar of St. Edward's Church, give a strong lead which all staff and pupils follow to create an outstanding climate for learning.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

2. The contribution to pupils' personal development is extremely effective and strongly enhances their capacity to learn. Bright classroom displays to mark the arrival of Advent contribute to the pupils' spiritual awareness and assemblies are used well to reflect upon important questions. Year 2 were encouraged to consider their responsibility towards living things through listening to a Buddhist story of an injured swan. Appeals to the spiritual abound within the school in the form of well hung inspiring classic paintings, a display to mark Remembrance Sunday and numerous quotations. "Kind words bring life, but cruel words crush" is an example, among many in one corridor which typifies the school's approach to education. Mutual respect is a feature of the school which encourages teachers and pupils to explore one another's values and to gain new knowledge.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

3. Pupils' moral and social development moves hand in hand with their spiritual development: Years 5 and 6 practised, with pleasure hymns to support a Year 3 assembly which was to take place later in the week. Class 6FG are setting themselves individual and demanding targets to improve their work displayed on their "challenge board". A clear moral code operated which distinguishes right from wrong and rights from responsibilities. This exerts a powerful influence on pupils' behaviour and ensures that pupils and teachers co-operate to ensure that all lessons begin promptly. Responsibility towards the less fortunate is illustrated by the impressive array of certificates received arising from charitable donations by the school and the large number of "Christmas Boxes" recently sent overseas. Many pupils have responsibilities which they carry out conscientiously. These are prominently displayed, for example the

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

"help chart" in class 1W and the "busy bees" monitors in class 2W. The four houses have captains and vice captains whose responsibilities include maintaining the house noticeboards. Ravens House illustrated the results of their recent competition for pupils in year 3 and 4, to "draw a picture of Daniel in the lion's den." The school is very successful in constructing roles for many pupils and a stake in their own learning. Class 1S displays a list of smiley faces acquired by each class member and class 1T a merit chart. Class 6H display the wide range of rewards available to pupils. There is an appreciation of the qualities each pupil brings to the school.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

4. The pupils feel secure and are confident. The building is well signposted and St. Edward’s C. of E. Primary School both pupils and staff maintain clean and tidy conditions. This assists pupils' learning where rooms are often very cramped. Teachers have established very effective routines to ensure the prompt start to lessons, a good pace and full use of all lesson time. Particularly influential in maintaining good focus upon learning is the well established practice of teachers giving a specific learning objective, orally and in writing, of the start of each lesson.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

The pupils enjoy school, are eager to learn and are very well behaved.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

5. Pupils have impressive attitudes to school and to their learning. Their eagerness to learn is having a tremendous impact on their attainment levels. Pupils are cheerful, punctual and well organised as they arrive in the morning. They love coming to school, as demonstrated by the very good attendance figures. Pupils get down to work very quickly and with the minimum of fuss. On one wet morning during the inspection the young Reception pupils settled extremely well to their mathematics session and were soon engrossed in counting “currant bun” cards.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

6. Invariably the response of pupils in lessons was judged to be very good or excellent. Pupils talk with animation and enthusiasm about their topics and teachers. In a Year 5 history lesson on the ancient Egyptians, pupils were fascinated by hieroglyphs and learnt much from devising their personal “tomb paintings”. Behaviour is often excellent in lessons, even when the teaching may be uninspiring and lacking challenge. In one Year 3 lesson the teacher had to leave the room briefly but while she was out there was not a murmur or fidget from the pupils. In the swimming pool, often a chance for noise and excitable behaviour, the pupils behave impeccably and really make the most of their swimming lesson.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

7. Out of lessons the pupils are very orderly and are well at ease with the routines of the school day. Lunchtimes are pleasant and sensible occasions. The pupils are confident, articulate and eager to talk to visitors. They are polite and considerate; rarely did the inspectors have to open the door for themselves! Many pupils appreciate the good facilities that they have in school. Year 6 pupils are particularly enthusiastic about the computers. All pupils are positive and supportive members of the school community and proudly wear the St Edward’s School uniform.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

Standards in the end of key stage National Curriculum tests are high.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

8. In recent years the school has achieved generally high standards in all national tests for both seven and eleven year olds, particularly in English. In 2000 the school achieved its highest ever results in reading and writing in Year 2 and in English and Mathematics in Year 6. Taking all test performance levels for all pupils into consideration for 1998 to 2000, each pupil exceeded the national average by the equivalent of one and a half terms of progress in their learning in reading and writing and by half a term in mathematics for seven year olds. Over the same period, standards for eleven year olds exceeded the national average by almost two and a half terms in English and by just over one term of progress in learning in mathematics and science. St. Edward’s C. of E. Primary School 9. Although both girls and boys achieve well, the performance of boys compares especially well with the national picture. There is a much smaller difference in their

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

standards of reading and very little difference in their standards of writing for seven year olds compared to the national picture, where girls substantially achieve better than boys. In mathematics there is little difference in the performance of boys and girls in this age group which reflects the national picture. For eleven years olds the gap widens in English, following the national trend, although the gap between the higher performing girls and the boys is less than is found nationally. In mathematics and science boys achieve higher results than girls reflecting the national picture but the boys widen the gap.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

10. Currently, standards in Year 6 are lower than those reached in 2000 but are in line with the school’s targets for this different group of pupils. The pupils in Year 6 are making good progress and pupils with special educational needs are making very good progress. This is in response to the teachers in Year 6 who demonstrate consistently high expectations of pupils’ learning and clarity about what they are teaching.

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11. English paragraph

12. The pupils in Key Stage Two classes have benefited from the school’s policy to set the mathematics lessons according to pupils’ attainment. This allows pupils to work alongside others of a relatively similar level of attainment and the teachers to focus on their learning needs. For example, in the top set in Year 6 pupils were challenged to quickly name and then state the key attributes of a variety of two dimensional shapes including kite, rhombus and parallelogram. They confidently identified all symmetries of these shapes. The attainment of all pupils has been assisted by the structure provided by the National Numeracy Strategy. Teachers know what they intend to achieve within a sequence of lessons and in the best lessons there is good pace and teachers ask clear and challenging questions.

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11. English paragraph

13. The pupils demonstrate very good gains in their knowledge and understanding of science. This is assisted by the teachers’ good subject knowledge and their emphasis upon the regular and accurate use of scientific vocabulary. In Year 5 the pupils are confident in using terms such as solution, insoluble and dissolving and in Year 6 the pupils refer to photosynthesis in the discussion of the transportation of water in plants. They apply their knowledge well to new situations, for example making reference to magnets in their observation of a simple electric motor in Year 4. Their learning in Year 6 is assisted by the very good coverage of topics and by the high standards of presentation of written work.

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11. English paragraph

Effective early years provision with an excellent nursery.

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11. English paragraph

14. Most children are on targets to surpass national expectation of the early learning goals in all six areas of learning by the end of their reception year. St. Edward’s C. of E. Primary School 15. The school has maintained an excellent level of provision for the nursery where children enter a calm, productive and extremely well organised environment. Children are presented with a stimulating curriculum which, coupled with enthusiastic and very effective teaching from all members of staff in the unit, enable them to make good progress in all areas of learning. Individual assessments are used extensively to check on what children have learnt and to plan for what they need to do next. This is excellent practice.

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11. English paragraph

16. The curriculum in reception is very good. The teachers and nursery nurses manage children very well and maintain colourful and well presented working areas but their assessments and planning are not as well developed as they are in the nursery. The co-ordinator for early years does an excellent job in monitoring the teaching and its outcomes in the nursery. She does not have the time to leave her own area to ensure that all teaching standards in reception classes are of the same very high quality.

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11. English paragraph

17. Children's speaking skills are excellent, for example in the nursery they hold conversations and express their own thoughts and ideas coherently. They enjoy listening to stories, can read simple books and are learning to form their letters properly using structured mark-making activities. Children use mathematical language very well for their age when explaining how to solve number problems and they are all confident “counters”. Even in nursery they can add on and take away one.

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11. English paragraph

18. Children have good co-ordination skills which are practised and built on daily through well led physical development activities. They can keep a simple beat to music and sing tunefully and with good pitch as shown when they sang their responses to the teacher during registration. They mix their own shades of colour when they paint, have experience in printing , make three dimensional models linked to design and technology activities, model using play dough and construct interesting and colourful collages.

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11. English paragraph

19. Some children have excellent skills in information and communication technology and can adjust the volume and zoom controls on the computer. Computers are in use almost all the time and support children's learning well, particularly in language and mathematics. Other activities promote children's successful acquisition of knowledge and understanding of the world such as about the weather and seasons, the distinction between sunlight and torchlight and the reflective properties of different materials and the school’s environment. Children's personal, social and emotional development is excellent, it is very well planned and the calm, welcoming, productive atmosphere which prevails and supports children's learning really well.

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11. English paragraph

20. All the adults are excellent role models for children who are well mannered, thoughtful and kind to one another. They persevere at tasks well, without becoming frustrated, for example a nursery child struggled to put on an apron with sleeves in it, made three attempts, each time holding it at arm’s length to make sure she started properly before finally succeeding. She then calmly began painting her picture.

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11. English paragraph

Pastoral care is strong. St. Edward’s C. of E. Primary School 21. The school has undertaken thorough and thoughtful work in establishing very good pastoral care. The firm Christian ethos provides a very effective bedrock to the support and care of the individual pupil. The school quite rightly sees the promotion of good behaviour and management as an integral part of pastoral care. Pupils who misbehave or have personal worries are given support in many effective ways. The prompt involvement of parents and the instigation of behaviour support plans are very successful in improving the behaviour of individual pupils. The recent introduction of the “Concerns Box” allows pupils to leave confidential messages should they feel nervous about reporting a worrying incident. All pupils spoken to thought that the care and support of all the staff was what they most liked about the school.

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11. English paragraph

22. Children new to the nursery are settled into school life very effectively and are soon able to cope with the everyday routines. As pupils progress up the school they are given very good opportunities to grow in maturity. It is particularly impressive that all pupils are encouraged to bring, look after their own money and pay for lunch each day with confidence in the honesty of others. The older pupils are given a good range of jobs and responsibilities. House captains, vice captains and monitors are very responsible and wear their badges with pride. Pupils are given very effective guidance in personal, social and health education that allows them to understand the issues and dilemmas relating to subjects such as the use and misuse of drugs and road safety. In a Year 6 lesson the teacher gave a direct message on the harmful effect of cigarettes by saying “every cigarette means 6 minutes off your life”. By the time that the pupils

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11. English paragraph

move on to secondary school, they are very responsible, level-headed and well prepared for life beyond primary school.

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Flair and imagination in the use of funds to improve the school's

23. The accommodation was intended for a roll two-thirds the present size. There has been a continuos programme of building improvements and associated acquisition of furniture and learning resources which has improved conditions for learning very substantially. The programme was planned and executed with flair and imagination to secure improved capacity and quality.

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Flair and imagination in the use of funds to improve the school's

24. Most recently the courtyard between Years 3 and 4 has been roofed over to create a large accessible area for teaching. Following the pattern of the years 5 and 6 covered court, this has still enabled pupils' books and learning resources to be stored outside cramped classrooms, remain accessible and enable a network of computers to be established. The acquisition of computer hardware and software has facilitated its regular use to enhance the range of information and communication technology applications and pupils' basic skills in using computers. Concurrently, the construction of cloakrooms for Years 3 and 4 on the exterior wall of the school has freed further space for teaching and learning.

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Flair and imagination in the use of funds to improve the school's

25. Generation of the funds from grants and parental donations and matching them to the plans for improvement have been very well managed. In addition, the resource library has been refurbished to a very high standard, the swimming pool facilities have St. Edward’s C. of E. Primary School been improved and a lease on adjoining land for use as a playing field has been secured.

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The school provides a very good range and quality of activities out of lessons

26. The pupils’ learning is greatly enriched by the interesting range of activities provided for pupils beyond the classroom. For example these include physical (gymnastics and football clubs), practical (art club and gardening club) and musical activities. The school has set up an impressive variety of music groups at lunchtime and after school, including percussion bands, recorders, strings and woodwind groups as well as a singing club. Clubs are open to all pupils, depending on their age and, in the main, are free of charge. All clubs make very good use of the excellent facilities on the site and are fully subscribed. The computer club has easy access to the state of the art hardware, the latest software and internet connections. Members of the computer club are very keen and make very good progress in developing their information and communication technology skills. The teacher makes effective use of the pupils’ extra

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The school provides a very good range and quality of activities out of lessons

knowledge acquired in the club by using these pupils as role models and mentors in class lessons. The drama club has a very long waiting list and is run by a dedicated teacher with a professional acting background. The pupils are extremely enthusiastic and are looking forward to performing an edited version of Midsummer Night’s Dream at Easter 2001. Both pupils and their parents greatly appreciate these clubs and regret that there are not more. However, the school is providing more clubs than most primary schools thanks to the commitment and hard work of many teachers and other volunteers. These activities make a major contributor to the liveliness and richness of the school’s curriculum.

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The school provides a very good range and quality of activities out of lessons

27. In addition, the school enhances opportunities for pupils’ learning through organised class visits. Recent examples have included Old MacDonald’s Farm (Year 1, May 2000), Legoland (Year 2, June 2000), and the Millennium Dome (Year 5, June 2000). All members of Year 6 have the opportunity to join a five day residential visit to Broadstairs, Kent, to extend their personal development and knowledge of a variety of places of particular religious, historical, scientific and geographical interest. Accounts of this week, often carefully wordprocessed, demonstrate great interest in and enjoyment of the activities.

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The school provides a very good range and quality of activities out of lessons

28. All pupils from Year 1 to Year 6 have excellent opportunities for swimming. They receive one half hour lesson each week in a group of 15 pupils. The school has its own 20m by 10m indoor heated pool that is very well used throughout the week for lessons. All pupils are attaining well above the expectations for their age in swimming because of regular and thorough instruction. The fully qualified instructor manages the pupils well with very clear commands and has high expectations of their achievement. The progress of the pupils is monitored carefully, with certificates awarded for swimming specific distances. The pupils try very hard and show excellent behaviour, in the pool as well as in changing their clothes before and after swimming. In the summer the parents and pupils gain much enjoyment when the pool is used for galas and swimming displays and from the success gained by the school’s swimming team. In addition to providing

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The school provides a very good range and quality of activities out of lessons

St. Edward’s C. of E. Primary School enhanced physical education, the school ensures that all pupils are safe when playing near water which is a common feature in north east London.

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Monitoring and evaluation is not effective in checking teaching quality and

whether plans for school development are working properly.

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Monitoring and evaluation is not effective in checking teaching quality and

29. The procedures for monitoring and evaluation are unsystematic, limited in scope and, apart from monitoring teachers' planning, infrequent and irregular. Very few lessons have been observed during the current calendar year, exclusively by the headteacher, and the scrutiny of pupils' work is a rare occurrence. The school is unable to judge to input of teaching on pupils' progress.

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Monitoring and evaluation is not effective in checking teaching quality and

30. As a result of insufficient self-review there is a lack of consistency of approaches to teaching and learning across the school. Consequently, the marking policy is not being fully adhered to, the challenge for higher attaining pupils is insufficient and provision for staff training may not fully meet the needs of individual teachers. The targets for improvement within the school development are not necessarily appropriate, are vague and lack specific success criteria. In turn, monitoring of the progress of the plan, by the senior management team and the governing body is difficult.

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Organisation to ensure consistent approaches to teaching and learning across

31. Responsibility for teaching and learning within subjects is split between two co- ordinators, one for the lower school and one for the upper school, in each of the eleven subjects. Co-ordinators are not assisted to gain a view across the whole school and as a result, are not acting as subject leaders, taking responsibility within their subject for overall quality and standards. Co-ordinators focus upon support rather than monitoring and are therefore unable to identify best practices for dissemination and to clarify how teachers have responded to training and support. One co-ordinator takes responsibility for the subjects within the lower school and another takes responsibility for 2 subjects one in lower school and one in upper school. The two deputy headteachers and the headteacher have "hands on contact" with the co-ordinators in specific subjects but this reinforces the role of co-ordinators taking responsibility for, rather than being

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Organisation to ensure consistent approaches to teaching and learning across

accountable for, the performance in their subject. The relative input of year/ boy leaders and subject co-ordinators into the pupils' learning is also unclear. The organisation of the school does not generate answers to such crucial questions as: is practice consistent? Is the progress of individual pupils being tracked across he year? Are standards as high as they should be?

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Insufficient challenge for the gifted and talented pupils

32. Some parents raised this issue, identified within the previous inspection report, as an area requiring further improvement. Although standards of attainment are generally high, the analysis of pupils’ progress over Key Stage 2 in 2000 demonstrates that this was only average in mathematics and science, though above average in St. Edward’s C. of E. Primary School English. No eleven year old has attained a level 6 in the end of key stage tests over the period 1996-2000. Although this level represents exceptional performance, it is common in very good schools, especially in mathematics.

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Insufficient challenge for the gifted and talented pupils

33. The needs of the gifted and talented pupils are not met in a systematic manner. There is a good level of staffing but, with the exception of music and swimming, there is little done to extend these pupils. There is neither a policy for nor a register of, these pupils. The school relies upon the periodic extra-curricular activities offered by the local borough. Over seventy pupils have been recommended for the next phase of this “Very Able Pupils Enrichment Programme”.

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Insufficient challenge for the gifted and talented pupils

34. Within classes there is a lack of careful matching of activities to the pupils’ different learning needs. There are thirty-three pupils in the top Year 6 mathematics set covering a wide variety of ability yet all pupils are often asked to do the same task. This results in some pupils waiting for others to finish a task, for example sorting two dimensional shapes, while others had insufficient time to think about the solution required. Similarly in a Year 1 class all pupils were asked to complete the same task of cutting out four pictures and sticking these into their books to demonstrate a sequence of getting up in the morning. Commonly in classes teachers request a greater quantity of the same or similar activity rather than setting more challenging tasks for the higher attaining pupils.

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Insufficient challenge for the gifted and talented pupils

35. There are too few opportunities for pupils to undertake enquiries, to pose questions and to investigate potential solutions. This applies especially to science in which all pupils undertake an insufficient number of practical tasks. As a result their investigative skills are not fully matched to and restrict their knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas. In addition it limits their capacity to think creatively, to establish links between cause and effect, to plan and to test ideas and to seek and present evidence intellectual skills which should assist learning in other subjects. Some teachers use worksheets too frequently with many associated undemanding tasks such as copying information or writing short answers to questions which do not allow tasks to be carried out in different ways.

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Insufficient challenge for the gifted and talented pupils

36. Some subject sessions are too short which makes the provision of both imaginative and creative tasks which stimulate pupils, especially the gifted and talented, difficult to plan for or to complete. This was illustrated in an excellent history lesson in Year 6 in which groups of pupils were either planning town expansion in Victorian England, planning the distribution of household amenities within a Victorian terraced house or assessing the work of Victorian painters, but the session was too short to enable the tasks to be brought to a successful conclusion. Where time is provided then the pupils’ learning gains in depth and breadth, illustrated by Year 6 recounting their recent Victorian schoolday, dressing in appropriate clothing and bringing a Victorian packed lunch to school, all recorded in compelling sepia photographs. St. Edward’s C. of E. Primary School

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

This report has identified weaknesses that should be acted upon to raise standards and to improve the quality of the school. The governing body and headteacher should now ensure that:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) the quality of teaching and its impact upon pupils' learning as well as progress in the school development plan are monitored and evaluated at regular intervals;

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) subject co-ordinators are held accessible for the standards of pupils' work and the quality of provision across the school;

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(3) talented and gifted pupils make greater progress, assisted by (a) more emphasis upon creativity and the use of enquiry skills in their learning and (b) lesson planning which identifies their specific needs. St. Edward’s C. of E. Primary School

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils [ ]

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y 6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 43 519

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals NA 28

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Information about the school’s pupils

FTE means full-time equivalent. NA means not applicable

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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 0 3

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 0 117

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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 5

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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 18

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 22

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Attendance

National comparative data 5.2 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. St. Edward’s C. of E. Primary School

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2000 [ ] [ ] [ ]

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys [ ] [ ] [ ] Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls [ ] [ ] [ ]

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 99 ( ) 98 ([ ]) 98 ([ ]) at NC level 2 or above National 84 ( 82) 85 ( 83) 90 (87)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys [ ] [ ] [ ] Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls [ ] [ ] [ ]

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 100 ([ ]) 98 ([ ]) 100 ([ ]) at NC level 2 or above National [ ] (82) [ ] (86) [ ] (87)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

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

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2000 [ ] [ ] [ ]

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys [ ] [ ] [ ] Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls [ ] [ ] [ ]

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 92 (93) 88 (76) 97 (96) 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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys [ ] [ ] [ ] Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls [ ] [ ] [ ]

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 88 ( 93) 85 ( 88) 96 ( 96) 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

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. St. Edward’s C. of E. Primary School

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 3 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 11 Black – African heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 0 Other minority ethnic groups

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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

Qualified teachers and classes: Y[ R] – Y[ 6]

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) [ 23.7 ] Financial year [ 2000- 2001]

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher [ 24.1 ]

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: Y[ R ] – Y[ 6 ] Total expenditure [ 1285941 ]

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff [ ] Expenditure per pupil [ ]

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week [ ] Balance brought forward from previous year [ 42459 ]

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year [ 22485 ]

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) [ ]

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher [ ]

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff [ ]

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week [ ]

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Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. St. Edward’s C. of E. Primary School

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

p.22

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 52 39 7 1 1

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 53 45 1 1 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 38 50 9 1 1

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 29 51 18 2 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 49 40 9 0 1

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 64 31 4 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 31 55 12 1 2

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 50 41 5 0 3

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 56 39 3 0 1

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 27 38 15 3 17

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Summary of parents’ and carers’ responses

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

[text] [replaces the table when there are fewer than ten returns]

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

[text] [a short comment should be included if applicable] St. Edward’s C. of E. Primary School

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

45. [paragraph] St. Edward’s C. of E. Primary School 46. [etc . . . . . .]

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

65. [paragraph] St. Edward’s C. of E. Primary School 66. [paragraph]

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