Elizabeth Selby Infants' School

ELIZABETH SELBY INFANTS SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 20 th -21 st February 2002

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ELIZABETH SELBY INFANTS 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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ELIZABETH SELBY INFANTS 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. Elizabeth Selby School - 3- February 2002

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Old Bethnal Green Road LONDON Postcode: E2 6PP

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: November 1997 Elizabeth Selby School - 4- February 2002

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Team members

23868 Dr B Blundell Registered inspector 9619 Mr R Miller Lay inspector 10144 Mrs M Marriott Team inspector

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Team members

Strathblane House Ashfield Road Cheadle Stockport SK8 1BB

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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 Elizabeth Selby School - 5- February 2002

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS 14

Elizabeth Selby School - 6- February 2002

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Elizabeth Selby Infants School is a school which has a wonderful working atmosphere for boys and girls, aged 3 to 7, situated in Bethnal Green, London. There are 228 pupils on roll, including 50 children in the Nursery. The ethnic background of the pupils is largely Bangladeshi, with a number of pupils having White U.K., Pakistani, Chinese, African and Caribbean heritages. One hundred and ninety six pupils have English as an additional language; the major languages spoken by these pupils include Sylheti, Bengali, Arabic and Somali. The percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is well above average. The percentage of pupils with statements of special educational needs is below the national average, but the proportion of pupils identified within the school as having special needs is average. The nature of pupils’ special needs includes emotional, behavioural and speech difficulties.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Pupil mobility is relatively high. Pupils’ attainment on entry is well below average overall.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

The overall effectiveness of the school is very good. Standards in English and mathematics for pupils aged seven are average, the overall quality of teaching is very good, and leadership and management by the acting headteacher are very good. The school provides good value for money.

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What the school does well

• Pupils are attaining standards that match national averages in reading, writing and science and above average standards in mathematics. • The overall quality of teaching is very good. • Leadership and management by the acting headteacher and senior management team are very good. • Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are very good; relationships are excellent. • The school includes all its pupils most effectively. It provides very well for all pupils, including those having special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language.

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What could be improved

• One of the two nursery classes is located in the nearby junior school, the other in a building adjacent to the main school; this leads to the nursery classes working in isolation from the rest of the foundation stage. 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, 1997. The overall quality of teaching has improved. Standards of attainment have been maintained. The key issue regarding child protection procedures has been fully met. The numeracy scheme has been fully implemented. The quality of teaching in Year 1 has greatly improved. Registers are now completed consistently. Design and technology has improved appropriately. The school now assesses pupils’ attainment appropriately on entry to Reception. The school has made good improvement since the last inspection. Elizabeth Selby School - 7- February 2002

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by pupils at the end of Year 2 based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

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Key

Reading C C E A well above average above average A B Writing C B C A average below average C D Mathematics A A D A well below average E

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Key

Standards attained by pupils aged 7 in 2001 were well below the national average in reading, below average in mathematics, and average in writing. That particular cohort of children had particularly low levels of attainment when they entered Reception in 1998, being well below the Tower Hamlets average. Compared to schools of a similar type, pupils’ attainment was well above average in reading, writing and mathematics. Over the three years from 1999 to 2001 taken together, pupils have left the Infant phase with standards just behind pupils nationally in reading, half a term ahead in writing and nearly a term ahead in mathematics. The school’s targets are appropriately ambitious. In the work seen during the inspection, standards for pupils aged seven were average in English and science, and above average in mathematics. For pupils aged seven, standards in design and technology were above national expectations; in information and communication technology, history, physical education, geography and

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Key

art and design, standards met national expectations. There was insufficient evidence to judge standards in music. Standards in religious education exceed the requirements of the local agreed syllabus. Children aged five are generally on course to meet the majority of the Early Learning Goals. (The Early Learning Goals are the nationally expected standards for children at the end of the Foundation Stage.) Pupils’ achievement is very good overall. Standards at this school are now sufficiently high.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Pupils’ attitudes to school are very good indeed; they are extremely enthusiastic and come with happy, smiling faces. They want to learn.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour in class and around the school is very good.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Relationships are excellent. Opportunities for pupils’ personal development are very good. Pupils are given appropriate responsibilities; for example, as seating monitors in the school assemblies.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Whilst attendance levels are below national averages, they are improving. The school is working hard to improve them further. Elizabeth Selby School - 8- February 2002

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Teaching of pupils in: Nursery and Reception Years 1 – 2

Quality of teaching Very good Very 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 of pupils in: Nursery and Reception Years 1 – 2

The overall quality of teaching is very good. The quality of teaching in English and mathematics is very good. Strengths in teaching include the planning and high expectations seen in most classes. Teachers and classroom support assistants work very well together. A relative weakness is a lack of sufficiently co-ordinated planning between the nursery classes and with the reception classes. The skills of literacy and numeracy are well taught. The school meets the needs of all its pupils very well. Particular strengths in pupils’ learning include their interest and concentration.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The quality and range of the curriculum are satisfactory in the foundation stage and very good in the infant phase.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs This is very good throughout the school. Pupils’ individual education plans have well focused targets. Special needs provision is provided as early as possible.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language This is very good throughout the school.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development This is very good overall. Provision for pupils’ spiritual development is good, and for their moral, social and cultural development, it is very good.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils The school cares for its pupils very well.

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Aspect Comment

The school works very well in partnership with parents.

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Aspect Comment

A particular strength in the curricular opportunities offered to pupils is the school’s work in numeracy. All areas of the curriculum meet statutory requirements. The school’s procedures for child protection are very good.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The leadership by the acting headteacher and senior management team is very good.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil The governors fulfil their responsibilities well. Elizabeth Selby School - 9- February 2002 their responsibilities

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance The school’s evaluation of its performance is very good indeed.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources The use of resources is very good.

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Aspect Comment

A particular strength in leadership and management is the calibre of the senior management team, which consists of the acting headteacher, deputy headteacher, mathematics co-ordinator and special educational needs co-ordinator. The school’s senior administrative officer and clerical assistant are both very pleasant and competent, and help ensure the smooth running of the school. The caretaker and cleaners ensure that the school is kept in a sparkling condition. The small gardens are well maintained by the gardener, who involves pupils appropriately in their upkeep. The school applies the principles of best value very well.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Their children like school. • Behaviour in the school is good. • Teaching is good. • The school expects their children to work hard. • Some parents would like to see a greater range of extra-curricular activities. • Some parents would like to see a greater amount of homework.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team agrees with parents’ positive views; it finds that both the range of extra-curricular activities and the level of homework are satisfactory. Nonetheless, the school is giving great thought to providing parents with the opportunity to obtain more work for use at home. Elizabeth Selby School - 10- February 2002

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science, and above average standards in mathematics

1. National test results over the last three years taken together have been close to national averages. In reading, pupils have left the school just behind pupils nationally, but in writing they have been half a term ahead of pupils nationally. In mathematics, they have been nearly a full term ahead of pupils nationally. This is despite the fact that pupils enter the school well below average. Pupils make very good progress in all areas.

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science, and above average standards in mathematics

2. Compared with children in similar schools, pupils at Elizabeth Selby do extremely well in their tests. In 2001 for example, results were well above average in reading, writing and mathematics. This particular year group performed particularly poorly in their assessments when they entered Reception classes in 1998. They have therefore achieved very well indeed by the age of seven.

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science, and above average standards in mathematics

3. In the work seen during the inspection, standards in reading, writing and science for pupils aged seven were average; they were above average in mathematics. Pupils at this school are particularly strong in mathematics. They are attaining well in their work on number and mental mathematics, in particular. Their attainment is greatly helped by the fact that they are expected to use correct mathematical vocabulary from an early age. Opportunities for extended writing in literacy are well developed in religious education but are otherwise lacking.

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science, and above average standards in mathematics

4. The majority of pupils at Elizabeth Selby have English as an additional language. It is a great achievement for all concerned that they leave the school at the age of seven with standards in reading and writing broadly matching national averages.

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science, and above average standards in mathematics

The overall quality of teaching is very good.

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science, and above average standards in mathematics

5. In approximately two thirds of the lessons seen in the inspection, the quality of teaching was either very good or excellent. Teaching in all except two of the other lessons was good; in those two lessons it was satisfactory. This school has a particularly gifted and hard working group of teachers. Between them, they create a wonderful learning atmosphere and subscribe fully to the school’s motto, “Encouraging Success For Everyone.” A very positive feature is that pupils and teachers are all on first name terms with one another. Despite the young age of the pupils, teachers treat them as equals. They are never disparaging; rather, they are encouraging. They praise pupils for their efforts, and often tell pupils how much cleverer they are than their teachers. Teachers are very secure in their relationships with pupils and do not feel that they have to “keep their guard up.” For example, in a very effective numeracy lesson for a mixed age class of Reception, Year 1 and Year 2

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science, and above average standards in mathematics

pupils, the teacher and bilingual assistant had a lively rapport with the pupils. The teacher asked Reception children to fill in the gap in the pattern, - 17 18 19. When a child responded with the answer 16, the teacher asked with a look of consternation, “How did you get that?” She turned to the bilingual assistant and asked, “Could you do that?” The assistant played her part well, and said, “No, Liz, I’ve no idea how to do that.” The teacher then asked the child if he could please explain to everyone how he had arrived at the answer. This opened the opportunity for the child to tell the whole Elizabeth Selby School - 11- February 2002 class how it was done. In such a process, the child’s self-esteem is boosted tremendously and very good learning takes place by others in the class.

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science, and above average standards in mathematics

6. Teachers plan their lessons very well. Planning between classes having pupils of the same age is very good overall, although it could be improved between the two nursery classes. In a very good lesson in literacy for Reception children, the lesson plan had a clear focus on maximising the learning of “high frequency” words.

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science, and above average standards in mathematics

7. Class management is a strength of the school. Teachers and support assistants work very hard together to establish effective classroom routines, so that time can be used for learning rather than child-minding. In an excellent Year 2 literacy lesson, in which the teacher used a story from India to develop pupils’ language skills, the class routines were exceptionally effective.

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science, and above average standards in mathematics

8. One of the secrets of success at Elizabeth Selby is that lessons are made as enjoyable as possible. For example, in a Year 2 numeracy lesson, the teacher used an imaginary tennis racquet to “bat” questions to pupils at a brisk pace. The pupils thoroughly enjoyed using their imaginary “bats” to send the answers back as rapidly as possible. In a short space of time, pupils had answered a great many questions, but didn’t realise that they were working so hard. Similarly, in an excellent Year 1 design and technology lesson, the pupils thoroughly enjoyed looking at a model of the school and recognising the mathematical shapes clearly visible in its construction. They then used what they had learned to construct their own model houses; these houses had to be more solid than the ones that “The Three Pigs” had lived in!

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science, and above average standards in mathematics

9. The degree of challenge in lessons is nearly always high. However, in a numeracy lesson for children in one of the nursery classes, all the children were given the same task and the level of challenge could have been greater.

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are very good

10. The acting headteacher commenced her duties at the school in January 2002. She has worked very hard indeed to prepare the school for its inspection. Her leadership is first class. She has worked well with the very effective senior management team, which comprises the deputy headteacher, the mathematics co-ordinator and the special educational needs co-ordinator.

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are very good

11. The management team, as well as being dedicated, are all very good teachers. They lead by example. Teachers have been monitored by members of the senior management team and given worthwhile feedback, because the senior management team knows exactly what constitutes good teaching.

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are very good

12. The acting headteacher has done much work in analysing the success rates in national tests of different ethnic groups. This enables support to be given in just the right areas. The governing body is both supportive and able. Whilst the school had a large surplus in its budget last year, that is forecast to halve this year.

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Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are very good; relationships are excellent

13. Pupils’ attitudes to school are very good indeed. They love coming to school and it shows in their happy, smiling faces. Sulky faces are a great rarity at Elizabeth Selby. Pupils want to learn. Elizabeth Selby School - 12- February 2002 14. Behaviour is very good and there is an absence of oppressive behaviour, sexism or racism. Pupils look after one another and are given appropriate responsibilities. For example, when you go into assembly, you are shown to your seat by a seat monitor. This, again, boosts pupils’ self-esteem.

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Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are very good; relationships are excellent

15. Relationships, both between pupils themselves and those with their teachers and other adults, are excellent and are a real strength of the school.

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including those having special educational needs and those for whom English is an

16. All pupils are included fully at the school, whatever their background. Systems for ensuring that this happens are so subtle as to be invisible. Everyone ensures that all children are included in everything as a matter of course.

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including those having special educational needs and those for whom English is an

17. Provision for pupils with special educational needs is very good. The special educational needs co-ordinator is a capable teacher, who works well with other teachers to ensure that pupils are supported whenever necessary. Pupils’ individual educational plans are regularly reviewed and contain sharply focused targets. A particular feature of special needs provision is that need is identified and support is provided at as early an age as possible.

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including those having special educational needs and those for whom English is an

18. Provision for pupils having English as an additional language is very good. It is funded by the Ethnic Minorities and Travellers’ Achievement Grant. The co-ordinator is an effective teacher, and she assesses levels of English throughout the school. Targets are set, shared with the class teachers and reviewed termly. Support occurs wherever possible in class, rather than in withdrawn groups.

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in a building adjacent to the main school; this leads to the nursery classes working in

isolation from the rest of the foundation stage.

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in a building adjacent to the main school; this leads to the nursery classes working in

19. The accommodation provided for children in the nursery classes inhibits regular day- to-day liaison between them. Additionally, because both classes are separate from the main school building, liaison with the reception classes is less favourable than it could be. Planning between the nursery classes is not as effective as it could be. It is far from ideal that one of the nursery classes is not even located in an Elizabeth Selby classroom. Children in this classroom do not have direct access to toilet provision. This is unsatisfactory. Elizabeth Selby School - 13- February 2002

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

20. In order to improve the school further, the headteacher, senior management team and governing body should

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) ensure that the nursery classes do not work in isolation from each other and from the rest of the foundation stage by making sure that, in the first place, regular planning meetings occur. (Para 19) . Elizabeth Selby School - 14- February 2002

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 12

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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 four 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) 50 178

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 0 113

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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 1

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 7 43

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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 196

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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 25

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 18

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Attendance

School data 7.6 School data 1.8 Elizabeth Selby School - 15- February 2002 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. Elizabeth Selby School - 16- February 2002

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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 2001 38 27 65

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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 26 31 31 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 26 27 26

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

Percentage of pupils School 80 (83) 89 (90) 88 (91) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (83) 86 (84) 91 (90)

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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 28 31 27 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 27 25 26

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

Percentage of pupils School 85 (88) 86 (88) 82 (91) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (84) 89 (88) 89 (88)

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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. Elizabeth Selby School - 17- February 2002

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 2 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 6 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 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) 10.7 Financial year 2000/01

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 16.6

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 723,577

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 10 Total expenditure 725,391

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 204 Expenditure per pupil 2,867

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 67,913

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 2 Balance carried forward to next year 66,099

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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 5

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 100

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 2

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 3

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 1.2

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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 Elizabeth Selby School - 18- February 2002 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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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. 67 29 0 0 5

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 76 19 3 0 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 33 38 11 6 11

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 59 27 6 2 6

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 60 30 2 0 8

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 75 19 2 0 5

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 56 33 3 0 8

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 62 29 0 0 10

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 63 24 5 0 8

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 32 29 11 2 27

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