Kingsbury Green Primary School

KINGSBURY GREEN PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 8 – 11 September 2003

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KINGSBURY GREEN PRIMARY SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 Kingsbury Green Primary School - 2 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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KINGSBURY GREEN 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. Kingsbury Green Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Primary School category: Community Age range of pupils: 3 to 11 years Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 441

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Old Kenton Lane Kingsbury London Postcode: NW9 9ND

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 020 8204 6423 Fax number: 020 8905 0258

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body Name of chair of governors: Mr D van Lessen

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 8 June 1998

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

Number on roll 441 (bigger than most schools)

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

Pupils entitled to free school meals 28.5% (above average) Pupils whose mother tongue is not English 48.7% (very high) Pupils on the register of special educational needs 27% (above average)

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

This is a large primary school with a nursery. It serves an area of North London that includes a mixture of owner occupied and rented accommodation. It has a culturally diverse intake that includes almost 10% refugees or asylum seekers. Pupils come mainly from Indian, Pakistani, white British, Bangladeshi, African, Caribbean, and Chinese backgrounds. Twelve pupils are at an early stage of acquiring English. The school has a unit for 14 hearing impaired pupils, some of whom come from beyond the borough. Last year 71 pupils joined and 42 left the school other than at the start and end of the year. Pupils identified as having special educational needs have mainly moderate learning difficulties, with smaller numbers having social, emotional or behavioural, speech or communication or physical needs. The school gained a Healthy School Award in 2002 and a School Achievement Award in 1999. Pupils’ attainment on entry to school is below average.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

2220 Ian Nelson Lead inspector Science 9275 Candy Kalms Lay inspector 1963 Sibani Raychaudhuri Team inspector English as an additional language English Art and design Design and technology 10827 Martin Majoram Team inspector Mathematics Geography History Information and communication technology Music Physical education 19765 Pauleen Shannon Team inspector The Foundation Stage Special educational needs Religious education 12920 Mary Kingsley Team inspector Hearing impaired unit

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Demeter House Station Road Cambridge CB1 2RS

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be made initially to the inspection contractor. The procedures are set out in the leaflet ‘Complaining about Ofsted Inspections’ , which is available from Ofsted Publications Centre (telephone 07002 637833) or Ofsted’s website (www.ofsted.gov.uk). Kingsbury Green Primary School - 5

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 8

Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 8

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 12

Teaching and learning The curriculum Care, guidance and support Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school provides a satisfactory quality of education. Pupils attain broadly average standards by Year 6 in English, mathematics, science, information and communication technology (ICT) and religious education (RE). Leadership is satisfactory with a clear commitment to school improvement. However, the management of the school is unsatisfactory and it does not have effective and efficient enough systems for knowing precisely how well pupils are achieving and what the school needs to do to improve achievement. It provides satisfactory value for money.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are: • The school has a strong commitment to the care and welfare of all pupils, and staff work hard to ensure that pupils are included in all activities, whatever their ability, disability, gender or cultural background. However, the school does not check unexplained absences effectively enough. • It supports pupils with special needs well so that they make good progress. • Provision for children in reception is good so that they achieve well. • Management and assessment procedures are unsatisfactory and do not enable staff to monitor its performance and plan its future development effectively. • Overall standards in writing are below average because pupils do not get enough opportunities to write at length and the school uses too many worksheets.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

Improvement since the last inspection has been satisfactory. Standards in ICT are better and the building has been extended and improved. However, the school has not improved enough its systems for monitoring pupils’ progress and its own performance since it was last inspected.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

all schools similar schools Results in National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 6, compared with: 2000 2001 2002 2002 English A C D E mathematics A B C C science A C D D Key: A - well above average; B – above average; C – average; D – below average; E – well below average Similar schools are those whose pupils attained similarly at the end of Year 2.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Achievement is broadly satisfactory throughout the school. More able pupils do well in the national tests and those with special needs achieve well in lessons because of the good levels of support they receive. Standards in the national tests for pupils in Year 6 in 2002 were below average in English and science, and average in mathematics. They have improved since then in English and science and are broadly average now in all three subjects. Standards rose to their peak in 2000 and declined from then to 2002. They are now beginning to rise again. Compared to similar schools in the 2002 tests, standards were well below average in English, below average in science and average in mathematics. In the tests for pupils in Year 2 in 2002, pupils attained standards that were well above average in reading, above average in mathematics and below average in writing. This was a marked improvement in reading and mathematics over the results of recent years when

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

standards were below or well below average. Standards in writing did not improve to the same degree in 2002. Standards of the current seven-year-olds are below average in English and average in mathematics and science. Standards in RE and ICT are average throughout the school.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Provision for the moral and social development of pupils is good and leads to positive attitudes to school and to good behaviour so that the school is a harmonious community where all pupils get on well together. Attendance and punctuality are below average. Provision for their spiritual and cultural development is satisfactory. Kingsbury Green Primary School - 7

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The school provides a satisfactory quality of education. Teaching is satisfactory overall in infant and junior classes and good in reception. Consequently, children learn well and make good progress in reception. Throughout the rest of the school learning and progress are satisfactory. The school provides a satisfactory curriculum in the infant and junior classes, enriched by close cooperation with the hearing impaired unit. The curriculum in reception is good. Links with parents and the wider community are satisfactory. There is a good level of care for pupils throughout the school, though the monitoring of unexplained absences is unsatisfactory.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Overall leadership is satisfactory but management procedures are unsatisfactory. The work of the governors is satisfactory and they are very committed to the school. The head and senior staff provide satisfactory leadership with a commitment to continuous improvement. However, the school lacks effective and efficient management systems to check how well it is doing, identify priorities and plan effectively for improvements.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents have positive views of the school, although a small number feel that they do not get enough information about their children’s progress. Pupils also hold positive views of their school, although a small number feel that their lessons are not interesting and fun and that they are not trusted to do things on their own.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

The most important things the school should do to improve are to: • Monitor pupils’ absences more rigorously and systematically, particularly when parents do not inform the school of the reasons for an absence. • Ensure that the school improvement plan identifies more clearly the priorities for raising standards, sets clear and measurable targets and says how these will be achieved. • Base the school improvement plan on a thorough and rigorous analysis of all the information available on how well pupils are doing so that it can track their progress more effectively and efficiently. • Raise standards of writing and provide more opportunities for pupils to write at length.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

and, to meet statutory requirements: • Ensure that the prospectus and annual governors’ report to parents contain all the information required by law. Kingsbury Green Primary School - 8

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Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

Achievement is broadly satisfactory throughout the school except in writing. More able pupils do well in the national tests and those with special needs achieve well in lessons because of the good levels of support they receive.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Above average numbers of pupils gain the higher levels in the national tests in mathematics at Year 6 and Year 2. • Pupils with special educational needs achieve well and make good progress. • Reading is above average at Year 2. • Standards and achievement in writing are not good enough and have not improved fast enough.

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The Foundation Stage

1. Children enter the nursery with attainment below average. They are well supported throughout the Foundation Stage, achieve well and make good progress. Many children enter nursery with immature social skills for their age. By the time they enter Year 1 they have achieved well and made good progress in this area so that most reach the levels expected for their age. A large proportion of children enter nursery with below average skills in language and numeracy. Despite a strong emphasis on developing these areas many enter Year 1 with skills below those expected of their age.

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Years 1 and 2

Standards in national tests at the end of Year 2 – average point scores in 2002

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Years 1 and 2

Standards in: School results National results reading 17.4 (14.5) 15.8 (15.7) writing 14.0 (13.7) 14.4 (14.3) mathematics 17.6 (15.0) 16.5 (16.2) There were 58 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Years 1 and 2

2. In the 2002 national tests for Year 2 standards were well above average in reading, above average in mathematics and average in writing compared with all schools. This is shown in the table above. Compared with similar schools standards were very high in reading, well above average in mathematics and average in writing. The 2002 results show a marked improvement from those achieved in recent years when they have been consistently below or well below average in all three areas. The school provided extra support for pupils in Years 1 and 2 after the 2001 results to try to raise standards and has been successful in doing so in reading and mathematics. The school was less successful in raising standards in writing. The graph below shows the marked rise in standards of reading and mathematics in 2002 and the limited improvement in writing results over recent years. Kingsbury Green Primary School - 9

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Average points scores at KS1 between 1998 and 2002

3. The inspection judgements, based on a wider range of evidence than the tests, are that overall standards in English are below average at seven because the standards of writing and speaking and listening are not as good as they should be and achievement is too low. In writing too many pupils do not achieve well enough by Year 2. Pupils do better in reading where standards remain good. Standards in mathematics at Year 2 are currently average. Most pupils achieve satisfactorily overall in Years 1 and 2. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well because of the good levels of support they receive. Those for whom English is not their first language achieve satisfactorily. Most pupils achieve satisfactory standards in religious education (RE) and information and communication technology (ICT).

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Years 3 to 6

Standards in national tests at the end of Year 6 – average point scores in 2002

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Years 3 to 6

Standards in: School results National results English 26.6 (27.1) 27.0 (27.0) mathematics 27.5 (27.9) 26.7 (26.6) science 28.0 (28.3) 28.3 (28.3) There were 59 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Years 3 to 6

4. In the 2002 national tests for Year 6 standards were below average in English and science and average in mathematics when compared with all schools. This is shown in the table above. Achievement in the national tests appears to be unsatisfactory given the comparison with schools that had similar results to Kingsbury when these pupils were in Year 2. However, a significant number of the Year 6 pupils who took the tests in 2002 arrived in school during their junior school years and did not sit the tests in this school at Year 2. Many of the new pupils do not have English as their home language and a number are from refugee and asylum seeker families. This makes it difficult to draw direct comparisons with schools that scored similarly four years previously and the school does not have effective enough tracking systems to show just how well pupils who went all through years 3 to 6 at Kingsbury achieved and to

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Years 3 to 6

demonstrate the true impact of pupil mobility on the 2002 results.

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Years 3 to 6

5. Standards have fluctuated since the last inspection in 1998. In English they were at the same level in 2002 as in 1998, having peaked in 2000, when they were well above average, and declined since then. Standards in science have risen since the last inspection but not as fast as those nationally. In mathematics they rose faster than standards nationally overall, but after the peak of 2000, when they were well above average, they also declined to 2002. This pattern is shown in the graph below. Kingsbury Green Primary School - 10 English

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Average points scores at KS2 between 1998 and 2002

6. The unconfirmed results of the 2003 tests show that standards for Year 6 were higher than those in 2002. The school exceeded its target for pupils gaining a level 4 or above by 5% in mathematics in the tests for Year 6 in 2002 and missed its target for English by the same amount. It set more challenging targets for that level in 2003 and achieved it in English but not in mathematics. However, it greatly exceeded its challenging targets for the proportion gaining the higher level 5 in both subjects in 2003. The inspection judgements, based on a wider range of evidence than the tests, are that standards in all three subjects are broadly average overall and most pupils achieve satisfactorily. Standards in RE and ICT are also broadly average. This represents an improvement in ICT since the last inspection when standards were below average. Since then the school has worked hard to improve the number of computers and the

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Average points scores at KS2 between 1998 and 2002

quality of teaching and these improvements have helped to improve achievement. Most pupils in years 3 to 6 achieve satisfactorily. The school provides good levels of support for those with special educational needs to help them to achieve well. Pupils with English as an additional language generally achieve satisfactorily throughout the school, though the standards of work of those in the early stages of learning English are below those expected for pupils of their age. Higher attaining pupils achieve appropriately, gaining the higher levels in the national tests.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Provision for the moral and social development of pupils is good and leads to positive attitudes to school and to good behaviour. Provision spiritual and cultural development is satisfactory . Attendance and punctuality are below average .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils’ behaviour is good so that the school is a harmonious community where all pupils get on well together. • The school does not give pupils enough opportunities for independent learning.

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Commentary

7. Most pupils like school. They want to learn and do well. They are particularly interested and enthusiastic in practical activities such as science and ICT. In a Year 6 science lesson, for example, pupils thoroughly enjoyed building series and parallel circuits. They concentrated well and persevered with the task until they succeeded. Those for whom English is not their home language have good attitudes to school and to learning. They respond well to support given and enjoy working in groups. Most pupils with special needs are interested in their work, and well behaved. A small number of pupils with behavioural needs can become distracted in lessons. Staff work hard to include these pupils, using lots of praise and encouragement. These pupils respond well in the informal atmosphere of the behaviour and emotional sessions that some pupils attend. These sessions are significantly improving pupils’ attitudes to

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Commentary

learning. Kingsbury Green Primary School - 11 8. Behaviour in lessons and around the school is good because the headteacher and staff expect pupils to behave well. Pupils understand the school rules. Together with the successful behaviour management by staff this leads to the good standards of behaviour in the school. A very small number of pupils misbehave. The school uses exclusion as a last resort for the most serious misbehaviour. Last year six pupils were involved in twenty exclusions. The high figure represents a significant increase since the last inspection and reflects the school’s strict approach to dealing with poor behaviour. In discussions with inspectors pupils said that there is little bullying, racism or other forms of harassment. Appropriate procedures are in place to deal with any incidents that may occur and pupils feel that any concerns they have are quickly dealt with. Pupils have a good understanding of right and wrong because provision for moral

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Commentary

development is good. They show respect for people and property because teaching and non- teaching staff help them to understand what is acceptable. They have good relationships and treat each other and adults with respect because of the emphasis staff place on the need to work well together.

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Commentary

9. Provision for social development is good. In lessons pupils are encouraged to work together in pairs or small groups. As a result they co-operate and collaborate sharing ideas equipment and resources sensibly. Pupils enjoy group work that provides them with some responsibility and independence. However, staff do not provide enough opportunities for pupils to show initiative and take responsibility for their own learning. Pupils’ gain an increasing sense of responsibility and maturity as they move through the school and undertake various duties. For example, they act as prefects in Year 6 and some have a role on the school council. Care is taken by the school to ensure that the pupils who have special needs, including those in the hearing impaired unit, and those for whom English is an additional language are fully integrated into school life. As a result, pupils treat each other with respect and the school is a harmonious

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Commentary

community. The racial harmony and friendships cross all ethnic groups and pupils from diverse cultures show interest in and respect for one another’s traditions and beliefs.

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Commentary

10. The school’s provision for spiritual development is satisfactory and mainly promoted through assemblies and RE where pupils are given the opportunity to learn about the beliefs and practices of the major world faiths. Acts of collective worship enable pupils to have time for reflection. Opportunities to explore the spiritual dimension found in art, music, science and literature are not planned for or given sufficient emphasis, with the result that in many lessons these opportunities are missed.

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Commentary

11. The school’s provision for cultural development is satisfactory. The school introduces multi- faith issues within RE lessons but other aspects of pupils’ cultural knowledge and understanding are not sufficiently well promoted through subjects like art, music and literature. There was little evidence of pupils being introduced to great works of art, music, literature or dance from a wide variety of cultures.

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Attendance

12. Levels of attendance are unsatisfactory and have declined since the previous inspection. The incidence of unauthorised absence is high, being well above the national average. The school has not dealt effectively enough with the issues about attendance identified in the previous report. There are still significant weaknesses in the school’s procedures for monitoring attendance and punctuality and following up absence. The school does not contact parents on the first day of absence and this has resulted in the school not knowing why a number of pupils have not returned to school after the holidays. Punctuality is unsatisfactory. Not only are a high number of pupils brought to school by their parents after the bell has rung but a significant number are collected late at the end of the school day. Kingsbury Green Primary School - 12 Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

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Attendance

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 5.7 School data 1.0 National data 5.4 National data 0.5 The table gives the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

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Exclusions

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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Exclusions

Categories used in the Annual School Census No of pupils on roll Number of fixed period exclusions Number of permanent exclusions White – British 72 1 0 White – Irish 2 0 0 White – any other White background 30 0 0 Mixed – White and Black Caribbean 9 0 0 Mixed – White and Black African 2 0 0 Mixed – White and Asian 2 0 0 Mixed – any other mixed background 17 0 0 Asian or Asian British – Indian 98 0 0 Asian or Asian British – Pakistani 21 0 0 Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 5 0 0 Asian or Asian British – any other Asian background 26 0 0 Black or Black British – Caribbean 42 5 0 Black or Black British – African 85 0 0 Black or Black British – any other Black background 8 13 0 Chinese 9 0 0 Any other ethnic group 33 1 0 No ethnic group recorded 3 0 0 The table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The school provides a satisfactory quality of education. Teaching is satisfactory overall in infant and junior classes and good in reception. Consequently, children learn well and make good progress in reception. Throughout the rest of the school learning and progress are satisfactory . The school provides a satisfactory curriculum in the infant and junior classes, enriched by close cooperation with the hearing impaired unit. The curriculum in reception is good . Links with parents and the wider community are satisfactory . There is a good level of care for pupils throughout the school, though the monitoring of unexplained absences is unsatisfactory .

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Teaching and learning

Kingsbury Green Primary School - 13 Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall but assessment is unsatisfactory . Kingsbury Green Primary School - 14

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching, learning and assessment are good in reception classes and in Year 6. • Support staff make an effective contribution to pupils’ learning, particularly when helping pupils with special needs. • Teachers and support staff insist upon high standards of behaviour in lessons and this leads to a good atmosphere for learning. • Marking and assessment in Years 1 to 6 do not help pupils to know how to improve their work.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 44 lessons

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Main strengths and weaknesses

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Main strengths and weaknesses

The table gives the number of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons; figures in brackets show percentages where 30 or more lessons are seen.

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Commentary

13. Teaching and learning in the reception classes are good. At the time of the inspection there were no nursery children in school so it was not possible to judge teaching and learning of that section of the Foundation Stage. The reception children were in school for only the mornings and half of them started their term on the day the inspection began while the other half had been in school for only a week. The emphasis in the teaching was on personal development to settle children in and on language and number skills. Children settled well because of the good routines established by the staff to welcome them. As reception classes follow similar routines to those in the nursery many children are already familiar with them. Staff pay particular attention to those children who did not attend the school’s nursery and as a result they too settle well. The strong emphasis on encouraging children to listen and to express

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Commentary

themselves verbally helps them to develop their speaking and listening skills throughout the range of activities available. This includes the development of social language in play activities in the home corner, as well as teaching subject specific vocabulary like that needed for mathematics, for example.

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Commentary

14. Teaching at Year 6 is good. There is also some good teaching in Year 2 and one very good lesson was seen in Year 1, taken by one of the senior management team while the teacher had time to fulfil management duties. In a science lesson on circuits in Year 6 the teacher built effectively upon what pupils had covered lower down the school. She ensured that support staff were well briefed so that they made a good contribution to the learning of the pupils in their groups. The teacher also gave groups of different abilities slightly different tasks to do. She encouraged them to devise their own ways to make the required circuits, choose the equipment they needed and to work in pairs. Consequently all the pupils achieved well and some of those with special needs were overjoyed when they succeeded in making their bulbs light up. In an ICT lesson, Year 6 pupils worked in pairs to import clip art into their text and

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Commentary

learned how to create a slide show. In a mathematics lesson the teacher and support assistant insisted on good behaviour and hard work and consequently an industrious atmosphere was created. The support assistant worked well with some lower attaining pupils encouraging and supporting them so that they achieved their task. The higher attaining group were given the responsibility of working independently of close adult supervision and responded well, achieving their tasks. The emphasis on pupils working in pairs and small groups, supporting each other and sharing resources and equipment, matched closely the whole school ethos of care and support that the school has tried so hard to develop and maintain. Kingsbury Green Primary School - 15 15. Only one lesson was judged to be unsatisfactory during the inspection. This was because the tasks were not appropriately challenging and explanations were not clear enough to enable

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Commentary

pupils to achieve well. Too often activities in lessons are too tightly prescribed by teachers and leave little room for pupils to be creative or take responsibility for their own learning. In science, for example, pupils’ books show that the whole class has often undertaken the same activities in the same way. The teacher dictates what the task is, what equipment is required, the methods to be used and how the results will be recorded. In English too many worksheets are used and pupils do not get enough chance to develop their writing or speaking and listening skills. Consequently, achievement in these areas is not as good as it is in mathematics. Some pupils think that their lessons are not interesting enough and would like the chance to be more creative and less constrained.

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Commentary

16. Pupils with special educational needs are well taught by teachers and specialist staff. Care is taken to ensure that pupils with any physical disabilities are catered for so that they can join in lessons successfully. Most learning support assistants attend planning sessions and are well briefed; consequently, they know the pupils’ needs well. They are caring and committed to the children and make a significant contribution to the pupils’ learning. They encourage pupils to join in and explain their thinking. Occasionally, some pupils struggle to record some of their work. This is because they are expected to undertake too much writing, when there is limited additional adult support. Class teachers and specialist staff work closely together to provide satisfactory support for pupils whose home language is not English. However, the focus of this support is only on the content of the lesson and specific vocabulary and language

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Commentary

structures necessary for these pupils do not feature in planning or teaching. There are not sufficient opportunities for speaking and listening in small groups.

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Commentary

17. Although assessment arrangements for pupils with special educational needs and for the Foundation Stage are good, those for Years 1 to 6 are not good enough to ensure that pupils know what is good about their work and how to improve it. There are some good examples in pupils’ books of teachers making helpful and positive comments but too often marking is limited to ticks and crosses with little real indication of how to do better next time. There are some useful assessments, in English and mathematics particularly, but the school does not have efficient enough management systems to make the most use of the information they give to set individual targets for improvement. Consequently pupils do not know clearly what they need to do improve their work and make progress.

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The Curriculum

Satisfactory overall. The curriculum is good at the Foundation Stage and satisfactory in Years 1 to 6.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The Foundation Curriculum. • Provision for pupils with special needs. • There are no major weaknesses in this area.

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Commentary

18. The school provides a satisfactory curriculum. All the required subjects are taught. Arrangements for collective worship are satisfactory. Provision for pupils with special educational needs is good. The staff are strongly committed to including all pupils in the whole life of the school and they cater well for pupils with a physical disability. Consequently, most make good progress in their learning and achieve well in relation to their ability. The quality of provision for personal, social and health education, including sex education, drugs education and citizenship is satisfactory. Pupils have regular opportunities to contribute to school developments through their school council. The staff ensure that pupils are prepared effectively for transfer to their next year groups or schools. Where possible, the school seeks to develop Kingsbury Green Primary School - 16 curricular innovations such as those associated with accreditation for the Healthy Schools

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Commentary

award. The provision for English as an Additional Language (EAL) is broadly satisfactory. Under the Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant (EMAG), the school now employs four Teaching Assistants, who are bilingual and a part-time EAL teacher. Bilingual Teaching Assistants work very closely with the class teachers to help pupils so that they understand the content of the lesson and participate in activities. The school considers carefully the needs of early stage EAL pupils and EAL pupils who arrive in the middle of the school year. Most support is given to classes, where needs have been identified through initial assessment. Pupils with little English and pupils with special educational needs are often supported in together and there is no clear distinction between the support needed for each group. Provision for pupils with special educational needs is good. This is an improvement since the previous inspection,

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Commentary

when it was satisfactory. The school meets its statutory requirements and the school is accessible for wheelchair users. The school’s approach is inclusive and great efforts are taken to ensure pupils join in and succeed in activities. Materials are adapted for pupils with particular physical, visual and hearing impairment, so that there are no barriers to their participation.

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Commentary

19. There is a wide range of clubs and out of school activities that are well attended by pupils from across the whole age range. Older pupils talk enthusiastically about participating in different clubs and competing against pupils from other schools in sports events. The curriculum is enriched further by pupils’ visits to places of interest and through visitors to school. Older pupils are offered a five-day residential visit to an outdoor education centre that provides well- planned opportunities for adventurous pursuits amongst a range of activities. These contribute well to pupils’ enjoyment and their personal development.

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Commentary

20. The school has a good number of qualified and experienced teachers to meet the needs of all pupils and cover the full requirements of the National Curriculum. The teaching staff has a suitably broad range of individual strengths in subject knowledge. Teachers and pupils are well supported by a good number of suitably trained and effective learning support assistants. They make valuable contributions to the work of the school and, in particular, to the good progress made by pupils with special educational needs. All staff report favourably on the school’s induction arrangements.

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Commentary

21. The school provides good accommodation for its pupils, including those in the Foundation Stage. This ensures that all areas of the curriculum can be taught effectively. In anticipation of increasing its intake to three forms of entry, the accommodation has recently been extended and improved significantly with the building of a new block. A strong feature of the new building is that it has a lift and consequently the facilities of the first floor are accessible to pupils with a disability. A weakness is that the acoustics of the new hall are poor and echoes resound significantly. The exterior grounds are extensive. As a result of pupils’ suggestions, designated zones help ensure that play times are well-organised and happy occasions. An environmental area is being developed that in future will be an asset to learning. Classrooms and the extensive grounds are maintained well. Non-teaching support staff make a valuable

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Commentary

contribution to maintaining the appearance and the smooth running of the school.

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Commentary

22. The range and quality of resources to support teachers in their work is generally satisfactory in all subjects. However, the range of books in the library is only just adequate enough to support pupils in independent work. The school has invested significantly, and to good effect, in improving ICT resources. Overall however, the ratio of pupils to computers is just adequate and at 12:1 is above the desired ratio of 8:1.

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Care, guidance and support

Provision for the care, guidance and support of pupils is satisfactory overall but the checking of unexplained absences is not good enough. Kingsbury Green Primary School - 17

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The school has good systems for giving first aid and looking after pupils. • Child protection arrangements are good. • Pupils have positive views of the school. • The school lacks formal systems for tracking pupils’ personal development and progress. • Pupils are not involved enough in their own assessment and target setting.

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Commentary

23. The satisfactory level of care and concern offered by the school ensures pupils’ welfare health and safety and supports their learning. The more structured procedures to support their personal and educational needs are not fully in place. Daily first aid, care for pupils who are unwell and those with specific medical needs are co-ordinated efficiently by the welfare assistant. The school, however, does not have enough staff with the necessary first aid qualification. Child protection arrangements are good. The designated teacher has a high level of awareness, although a regular formal pattern of staff training is not a routine. Regular checks of the site and premises occur and appropriate action is taken where needed. However, the health and safety policy has not been updated for some time and electrical equipment is not subject to regular checks. The building is fully accessible to all pupils.

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Commentary

24. The school provides satisfactory support advice and guidance for its pupils. Staff are aware of individual needs, especially of those with special needs and experiencing personal difficulties. It still does not have any systematic well-managed procedures that enable teachers to track pupils’ progress and personal development as they move through the school. Whilst staff monitor pupils informally, the lack of assessment information reduces the amount of targeted support advice and guidance that is available to ensure that all pupils achieve as much as they might. The headteacher brings to the staff’s attention any serious concerns that have been noted in the ‘staff awareness book’. The majority of pupils feel they have access to adults who will listen to them about any concerns they may have. The school does try and make pupils starting the school other than at the start of term welcome. There is satisfactory support for

p.17

Commentary

refugee pupils and new arrivals to help them settle into the school. Pupils are informally appointed to act a class friend to a new pupil. The school has a positive learning environment and care is taken to ensure that pupils with special needs are included in all activities. For example pupils with disabilities join in physical education lessons. The school has good systems for identifying, assessing and supporting pupils with special needs as soon as they enter school. The targets in the education plans are specific and regularly reviewed. However, pupils are not involved sufficiently in the formulation of their own targets.

p.17

Commentary

25. Pupils’ involvement in the school’s work and development is satisfactory. The school council allows a small number of pupils the opportunity to put forward their ideas on how to improve school facilities. This has led to an increase in the number of activities available in the playground. Pupils are not yet involved in assessing their own work or evaluating their own achievement. There is no system that enables pupils to discuss or set their own individual targets.

p.17

Commentary

26. Pupils who completed the questionnaire expressed mainly positive views about the school. A small number expressed concerns some aspects of life in the school. In discussions with inspectors, however, most pupils spoke positively about the school.

p.17

Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

The school has established satisfactory links with parents, other schools and the community overall. Kingsbury Green Primary School - 18

p.17

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The Friends Association contributes a lot of money to help the school.

p.18

Commentary

27. Parents who attended the meeting, together with those who responded to the questionnaires, were generally supportive of the school and what it offers their children. Very few parents indicated disagreement with any of the statements that were put to them, although some felt that they did not receive enough information on their children’s progress.

p.18

Commentary

28. The school’s links with parents are satisfactory. An active Friends Association has raised considerable funds that have helped to improve the outside environment. A small number of parents help in school on a regular basis, mainly with administrative tasks. Parents of pupils with special educational needs are encouraged to be involved from an early stage. However, a small minority does not always respond to the school’s invitations to attend meetings. Parents are given opportunities to support their children’s learning at home and the school provides useful information in the school’s prospectus. The school also hosts a parent group for parents whose children have special needs, with regular specialist guest speakers. The school encourages parents with little English to attend meetings and staff translate and interpret for them wherever possible so that they understand the messages being given.

p.18

Commentary

29. Overall, the amount of information parents receive is satisfactory. The weekly ‘Scene on the Green’ newsletter informs parents about school matters and forthcoming events. Parents are not sent information about the work their children are doing in lessons and how to support learning at home but this information is displayed outside classrooms for them to look at. The prospectus contains basic information about school routines but, neither it nor the annual governors’ report to parents, include all the required information. Meetings each term give parents the opportunities to discuss their child’s progress. The school provides ample opportunities for teachers to meet all parents but does not contact those parents who do not attend. Annual written reports are barely satisfactory. They omit design and technology, lack detail, do not provide clear information on strengths and weaknesses or indicate clear areas

p.18

Commentary

30. Satisfactory links have been established with the community. Visitors to the school and the visits pupils make to places of interest make a positive contribution to pupils’ learning. The school works closely with the local secondary school to ensure that pupils make a smooth transfer to the next stage of their education. This includes the exchange of records and information, and visits for transferring pupils. Curriculum links however, have only recently begun in some areas. Few other community links have been established.

p.18

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Overall leadership is satisfactory but management procedures are unsatisfactory . The work of the governors is satisfactory and they are very committed to the school. The head and senior staff provide satisfactory leadership with a commitment to continuous improvement. However, the school lacks effective and efficient management systems to check how well it is doing, identify priorities and plan effectively for improvements.

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The governors, headteacher and staff have a clear view of the kind of caring school they want. • Leadership and management of the Foundation Stage are good. • Management of provision for pupils with special educational needs is good. Kingsbury Green Primary School - 19 • The school does not have effective and efficient enough management systems to give a clear picture of how well it is doing. Consequently, the school improvement plan does not contain clear, measurable targets for raising standards, based on a rigorous analysis of performance.

p.18

Commentary

31. The governors are passionate in their commitment to the school. They show in their discussions that they want the best for the pupils. They demonstrate this commitment in the way they have worked to improve the building and the facilities, including those for pupils with special needs. Governors are particularly keen to promote policies and procedures that ensure that all pupils, whatever their age, gender, ethnicity or ability are fully included in the life of the school and have been successful in doing so. For example, the school has a lift to enable pupils with mobility problems to access the first floor. Governors work closely with the head to produce the school improvement plan and make sure all staff are consulted on it. They try to ensure that all statutory polices and procedures are in place and, apart from some minor omissions from the prospectus and annual report of the governors to parents, manage

p.19

Commentary

this satisfactorily. Performance management is in place although last year it was not fully implemented because there was felt to be insufficient funding to pay for cover to allow all teachers to be observed teaching.

p.19

Commentary

32. Senior staff share the governors’ commitment to involving all pupils in all school activities and in wanting the best for them. This commitment bears fruit in the ways in which able-bodied pupils and those with disabilities learn and play together. It is also demonstrated in the good achievement of pupils with special educational needs through the effective use of support assistants within the classrooms and in the results of more able pupils in the national tests. Subject coordinators are keen to improve provision within their subjects. They offer advice, support and guidance to colleagues and regularly report to the governing body. However, the school is not aware enough of its strengths and weaknesses because it lacks efficient and effective management systems to show clearly how well it is doing. School self-evaluation is not, therefore, effective enough to enable the school to pinpoint accurately the most important

p.19

Commentary

priorities for improvement and how to tackle them. Consequently, the school improvement plan lacks clear and measurable targets for improvement based on a rigorous and thorough analysis of how well the school is doing. Monitoring and evaluating its performance was a key issue for the school at the time of the last inspection and it has not yet fully addressed this issue.

p.19

Commentary

33. The management of special educational needs is very good. The co-ordinator has high expectations and gives clear leadership. He supports staff by having very good systems in place and by providing useful materials. Regular meetings are held with teaching and support staff to check that pupils are learning sufficiently. The co-ordinator also liaises with the co- ordinator of the Unit for Hearing Impaired pupils. The weaknesses identified at the time of the previous inspection regarding training for the support staff have been well addressed. As a result the large team of support staff are confident, knowledgeable and a real asset. The co- ordinator provides detailed information to the governing body’s special needs committee and has successfully supported them in gaining additional funding for the school. Currently, there is no co-ordinator for English as an additional language (EAL). There is no one identified in the

p.19

Commentary

school to offer support and guidance to EAL staff. The teaching assistants have not had appropriate training. The management of EAL is barely satisfactory.

p.19

Commentary

34. Staff and governors keep a very tight check on the school’s budget. They are critical of the amount of funding the school receives but the school’s own figures show that funding is broadly average for London schools. Although governors regularly challenge spending requests by staff, there is less evidence of the school comparing the alternative ways of achieving what is required. For example, the staff requested funding for an ICT based system for recording and analysing information on how well pupils are doing. Governors turned down this request because they felt the system was too costly. However, they do not appear to have considered the cost of senior staff time currently used to undertake this task using paper and pencil methods to provide a less rigorous and less accurate picture of how well the school is Kingsbury Green Primary School - 20 doing. This means that the school is not as aware as it should be of issues like improvement

p.19

Commentary

in the national test results in English at Year 6 not keeping pace with national improvements. Furthermore, using the most expensive staff in the school to undertake analysis of assessment information in such a laborious and unsophisticated way is not an efficient use of resources or an effective way to deploy staff. Although the school is committed to the principles of best value it does not actually employ them rigorously enough.

p.20

Commentary

35. The school sets its budget to match the priorities it identifies in the school improvement plan. It has good systems for monitoring spending and ensuring that the budget is adhered to. The governors ensure that funding for specific purposes is allocated to its correct source and used appropriately. The carry forward each year is well within acceptable limits. The office staff carry out day-to-day budget management efficiently alongside their other tasks and make a good contribution to the smooth daily routines of the school. The school offers satisfactory value for money overall.

p.20

Financial information

Financial information for the year April 2002 to March 2003

p.20

Financial information

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 1,192,742 Balance from previous year 2,427 Total expenditure 1,187,641 Balance carried forward to the next 7,528 Expenditure per pupil 2,554

p.20

What is the effectiveness of the hearing impaired unit?

The unit for pupils with a hearing impairment offers satisfactory provision for the education of pupils with hearing impairment.

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The audiological provision is good. • The provision of signing for pupils who need this mode of communication is good. • The hearing impaired adults on the staff provide excellent role models for the pupils. • Joint planning with the teachers in the mainstream classes is not effective enough. • The Unit lacks its own rigorous strategic plan.

p.20

Commentary

36. The Unit provides a supportive environment for up to 16 hearing impaired pupils and at the time of the inspection there were 14 on roll. The majority of them have severe hearing loss and many of them are accessing their curriculum through sign language. The unit is staffed by two full-time teachers who are qualified teachers of the hearing impaired, assisted by two communicators and a part-time learning support assistant.

p.20

Commentary

37. The standards achieved by the pupils show good progress. One or two pupils achieve National Curriculum levels in line with their mainstream peers. However, the majority of pupils are achieving below their chronological age and this is as a direct result of their disability. During the lessons there was a consistent emphasis on the development of sign language with good practice in oral work. Where pupils are accessing the curriculum orally there is consistent emphasis on the correct pronunciation of words and blends. For example, a member of the support staff corrected the pronunciation of the ‘ch’ in change and the pupil was encouraged to pronounce it correctly. Kingsbury Green Primary School - 21 38. The pupils follow the mainstream curriculum. There are isolated instances of pupils not receiving their full curricular entitlement because of timetabling of withdrawal groups. 39. Overall the teaching and learning are satisfactory. The best teaching includes work at different

p.20

Commentary

levels of difficulty with an emphasis on language development. In one lesson, for example, the teacher asked one pupil to demonstrate the signs for the numerals for the other less able pupil. When the pupils are integrated into mainstream classes effectively the very skilled deaf communicators ensure the pupils fully understand what they need to do and take a full part in lessons. For example, in science, the deaf communicator provided a commentary and access to the lesson for a signing pupil. During the practical work round the school, the deaf communicator was also explaining different materials and their properties to the pupil with a hearing impairment. These adults provide good role models and also provide good links with the deaf community. Where the teaching is not as effective there is too little liaison between the mainstream teacher and the unit staff, which sometimes results in insufficient time being

p.21

Commentary

allowed for the adaptation of lessons for pupils with hearing impairment. The mainstream teachers plan for the lessons, which will be taught by the unit teachers. However there is not always sufficient time for the teachers in the hearing impaired unit to adapt them for the needs of hearing impaired pupils.

p.21

Commentary

40. The management of the unit is satisfactory. The pupils’ hearing aids are checked regularly and the unit has strong links with the audiological department at the local hospital. The unit has an analysis of its strengths and weaknesses. However this information has not been transformed into a rigorous, improvement plan for the unit. The teaching staff in the unit have successful performance management. However, this does not extend to the deaf communicators, nor the nursery nurse.

p.21

Commentary

41. The hearing impaired unit has three classrooms, which have been partially sound treated. Two of these classrooms are of a reasonable size to take groups of hearing and hearing impaired pupils together. The third room is smaller and is available for individual or paired teaching, or administrative purposes. The unit has good sound loop systems using omni- directional microphones. Other areas in the school are not so good acoustically. The new school hall, for example, has poor acoustic qualities.

p.21

Commentary

42. The unit has developed good relationships with a wide range of external agencies, and provides links with the local community both within the mainstream community and with the deaf community. Kingsbury Green Primary School - 22

p.21

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Provision is good . Teaching is good and children make good progress. As a result most achieve well in lessons. This is an improvement from the previous inspection.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses:

• Teaching is good and as a result children make good progress. • Staff are very knowledgeable about early years and work very well as a team. • The nursery nurses and learning support assistants are a real asset. • Staff take great care to ensure children with physical, emotional or learning needs feel valued and are included in all activities. • Induction arrangements are very good. Children are helped to settle easily. • The Foundation Stage is well led and managed. • Not enough attention is paid to improving some children’s poor letter formation. • The reading areas in the reception classes are not well enough resourced.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses:

43. The inspection took place when nursery pupils had not yet been admitted. Half the reception children had attended for only one week. For many it was their first day. The focus was on how well children are helped to start school.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses:

44. Admission arrangements are very effective and ensure that children settle easily. Staff build up a clear picture of children’ skills before they join. Nursery staff visit the children’s pre-school settings and homes and reception staff follow up any children who have not attended the school’s nursery. Parents are pleased with the admission arrangements. They are made to feel welcome and their contributions valued. Staff use information provided by parents and their own detailed assessments to good effect. Children have targets which are shared with parents. Good use is made of the expertise of support staff to assess children’s learning. Any children with special needs are identified early and given good additional support.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses:

45. The management of the Early Years Unit is good. The co-ordinator organizes regular meetings with parents and outside agencies. She ensures that all the staff in the Unit work as an effective team, with their particular skills used well. Accommodation is good. Staff use the spacious outside area well, to extend learning. Lack of an outside shelter means that in poor weather it cannot be used. Within the classes there are appropriate resources. However, there are not enough good quality books and materials in the reading areas in the reception classes.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses:

Personal, social and emotional development.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses:

46. Teaching is good and as a result children make good progress and achieve well in their social development. By the end of reception most children will be on course to attain their early learning goals, with a significant number of children achieving more than might be expected. This reflects the emphasis the school places on developing the whole child.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses:

47. Most children enter nursery with a wide range of ability and experience, many having immature social skills. Records show that by the time they enter reception most have made good progress. This is because well-established routines are developed in the nursery which are built on in reception. A key feature is the way all staff rotate within the Unit. Consequently, reception children show confidence in their first week because they already know all the staff, have established routines and know what is expected of them. This particularly helps younger, less confident children. Kingsbury Green Primary School - 23 48. The staff are very caring and make sure that the children who have not attended the nursery are not lonely. There is an appropriate balance between activities that are planned by teachers and times when children can choose. As a result, many children can work independently. Snack time is a particularly valuable session, where staff reinforce good eating and social

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses:

habits. Great care is taken to include children with special needs. For example children with hearing impairments are well integrated because staff use sign language so that they are not isolated.

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses:

49. Staff have high expectations and make sure the children know what behaviour is expected. Children respond well to this. They settle in well, enjoy learning, behave well and work hard. From discussion, reception children say they like coming to school. They enjoy activities such as riding bikes, painting and playing in the sand.

p.23

Communication, Language and literacy

50. Teaching is good and as a result children make good progress and achieve well. However, despite a sustained focus on developing children’s language skills, most children will not attain the early learning goals in speaking and writing by the end of the reception year. This affects their ability to express their ideas in other areas of learning. A significant minority of children are on course to attain, and some will exceed, their early learning goals, particularly in reading.

p.23

Communication, Language and literacy

51. A large proportion of children enter nursery with a wide range of ability in communication skills. There are many children with limited experience of using English and a minority of children who have good communication skills. Records show that by the time they enter reception, children make good progress in their ability to use language. This is because the nursery curriculum is organized with a major focus on developing children’s communication skills.

p.23

Communication, Language and literacy

52. In reception children are taught to listen and to explain their ideas. Generally, their listening skills are slightly better than their ability to express themselves. Role play areas are used well. For example, while children washed dolls, staff encouraged less confident children to talk in sentences and more fluent children to extend their vocabulary. Children who speak English as a second language make good progress because staff check continually that the children understand and use their vocabulary. Good use is made of staff who offer some bi-lingual support.

p.23

Communication, Language and literacy

53. Staff establish good reading habits. Children enjoy sharing attractive big books such as ‘I want my mum’, because reading activities are presented in an interesting way. In a well-taught lesson the teacher used her voice in such a way that all the children were fully engrossed and keen to join in. Staff teach children how to handle books with care. They show children that they value books, by regularly sharing them. However, the reading corners in both reception classes are small and some books are in poor condition. As a result , few children actively use these areas when they make choices.

p.23

Communication, Language and literacy

54. Staff provide children with a wide range of reasons for writing informally. Children are generally positive and eager to record their ideas. Some reception children have difficulty forming their letters fluently and are developing poor writing patterns. This is not always commented on or corrected by staff.

p.23

Mathematical development

55. Teaching is good and as a result children make good progress and achieve well. By the end of reception most children are on course to attain satisfactory mathematical skills in number recognition. However, many children are unable to use their language to explain mathematical

p.23

Mathematical development

ideas. Therefore most children will not fully attain their early learning goals in mathematical Kingsbury Green Primary School - 24 development by the end of the year. A significant minority of children are on course to attain and exceed their early learning goals in number.

p.23

Mathematical development

56. A large proportion of children enter nursery with skills in numeracy below the expected levels for their age. However, there is a wide range of ability and experience, Records show that by the time they enter reception, many make good progress in mathematical activities such as recognising numbers, shapes and colours.

p.24

Mathematical development

57. Reception staff take every opportunity each day to reinforce and extend children’s mathematical skills. For example children take an active role in changing the date daily and counting numbers for the register. Every day there is an informal mathematical activity in the outside area. Staff provide lots of opportunities to use mathematical language. However, many still find it difficult to use terms such as full and empty, big and small to describe filling plastic bottles with water. More able children can recognize coins and use them to buy items in their shop.

p.24

58. No judgements about teaching and learning, standards and achievement are made

about most of the following areas of learning, owing to lack of evidence.

p.24

Knowledge and understanding of the world

59. Curriculum plans show that staff provide an interesting range of experiences and visits. Topics such as ourselves, mini beasts and transport help children to build up their picture of the world and extend their environmental and scientific knowledge. Staff extend children’s knowledge of different cultures well through the books, toys and posters available. Computer skills are well taught. Computers are constantly in use. Boys and girls have positive attitudes and display equally good skills. Children are on course to achieve their early learning goals in computer skills.

p.24

Physical development

60. Children have daily access to a large outside area and a good range of 3 wheeled vehicles and climbing equipment. This is an improvement since the previous inspection when reception children had only limited access. Staff make good use of their extensive grounds. From observation of children during informal times, children use the outside equipment with confidence. Most children are on course to attain the early learning goals in their physical development by the end of the reception year.

p.24

Creative development

61. Staff develop children’s skills and creativity through a range of topics and imaginative role play experiences. During informal times children have daily access to paints. They are also provided with musical instruments to explore. Kingsbury Green Primary School - 25

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Good provision in reading helps pupils to achieve above average standards by Year 2. • Pupils with special educational needs are supported well so that they make good progress and achieve well. • Overall standards in writing are below average because there is an over-reliance on worksheets which restricts the pupils’ ability to write imaginatively and at length. • Pupils do not get sufficient opportunities to develop their speaking and listening skills .

p.25

Commentary

62. The inspection findings show that overall standards are now broadly average in Year 6 but below average in Year 2. Achievement is better in reading because the school places a strong focus on developing reading skills, including basic phonics. Achievement is not as good in writing because the school uses too many worksheets and does not give the pupils the chance to write at length. In speaking and listening achievement is not as good as it might be because too much time is devoted to pupils simply answering the teachers’ questions rather than engaging in meaningful discussion and debate. Pupils start Year 1 with below average standards overall and many do not have English as their home language. Standards are frequently affected by pupils joining the school at various times during the school year, many of whom have little English. Overall pupils achieve satisfactorily in English during their time at the

p.25

Commentary

school and many reach expected standards for their age by Year 6. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well because of the good support provided for them.

p.25

Commentary

63. Because of the insufficient opportunities for developing speaking and listening skills in lessons, standards of these are unsatisfactory in Year 2 where there are many beginners in English. As pupils move up the school, they achieve satisfactorily, developing these skills to average standards by Year 6.

p.25

Commentary

64. In Years 1 and 2, the teachers build well on the positive attitudes to books developed by pupils in the reception class. Teachers’ strong focus on the teaching of phonics and a good range of books help pupils to achieve well and reach standards in reading that are above average by the end of Year 2. Pupils are heard reading regularly at school and, learning support assistants and the Reading Recovery programme make a significant contribution to pupils’ reading. As teaching is not strong enough in Years 3 to 5 to maintain these good standards, pupils’ progress slows down. However, because of the better teaching in Year 6, pupils achieve well and attain average standards.

p.25

Commentary

65. In writing, standards are below average at the end of Year 2, but broadly average at the end of Year 6. Although opportunities to write for a variety of different purposes are satisfactory in Years 2 to 6, where pupils use correct grammar and punctuation suitable for their age, there is a limited amount of extended writing in books. There is not enough time set aside for pupils to engage in sustained writing. The teaching makes use of too many worksheets that restrict pupils’ ability to write freely and imaginatively at length and to reach higher levels. The school has not yet adopted a common handwriting style, and the presentation of work is unsatisfactory.

p.25

Commentary

66. The overall quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Lessons are planned with clear objectives. Teachers know their pupils and manage them well and consequently pupils’ behaviour is good. Teachers work effectively with learning support staff so that pupils with Kingsbury Green Primary School - 26 special needs make good progress throughout the school. Class teachers and support staff give satisfactory to pupils for whom English is not their home language and they make satisfactory progress. The use of ICT is limited in English, where pupils use it to word-process their work.

p.25

Commentary

67. Subject leadership is satisfactory, with commitment to improvement. The management of the subject is unsatisfactory. The school lacks rigorous enough systems to monitor and evaluate how well it is doing and to determine accurately how best to raise achievement of all pupils across all aspects of English. The school has some useful assessment procedures but does not make the best use of them in tracking pupils’ progress and target-setting to improve standards.

p.26

Language and literacy across the curriculum

68. Language and literacy are not effectively developed through other subjects. There is little evidence of teachers using lessons like history, geography or science, for example, to develop writing skills. Standards of writing are accepted that are low for pupils’ ages and capabilities.

p.26

MATHEMATICS

Provision in mathematics is satisfactory .

p.26

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Effective leadership of mathematics by the subject coordinator. • Provision is good for more able pupils and for pupils with Special Educational Needs, including those with hearing impairment. • Skills developed in information and communication technology are not used effectively to support learning in mathematics. • There is not an effective system for target setting for individuals.

p.26

Commentary

69. Inspection findings show that throughout the school most pupils make satisfactory progress and achieve appropriately. Strategies for teaching numeracy are good. They have been more successful since the appointment of the new coordinator due to better planning and the introduction of new assessment procedures. Pupils with special educational needs and more able pupils make good progress and achieve well. This is because of the effective planning that takes account of their needs and the good quality of support that they receive from teachers, classroom assistants and the deaf communicator. Teachers have also improved the development of mental strategies that was criticised as inconsistent at the last inspection so that pupils better in this element.

p.26

Commentary

70. Pupils in Year 2 use mental strategies satisfactorily to solve number problems using addition and subtraction. They demonstrate a sound understanding of place value relating to tens and units. More able pupils in Year 6 have a very good understanding of place value. In mental work they divide a three-digit whole number by ten, a hundred and a thousand and express the correct answer both as a decimal and as a fraction. Most pupils are confident and have good attitudes to their work. These positive attitudes make a significant contribution to better achievement.

p.26

Commentary

71. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall with some good features in Years 3 to 6. Strengths within teaching include focused planning for pupils of different ability, well managed and purposefully directed classroom support and high expectations of work and behaviour.

p.26

Commentary

Where teaching is satisfactory, the match between task and ability is not exact and the Kingsbury Green Primary School - 27 management of pupils’ behaviour is not as effective as it might be. Teaching does not make enough of opportunities to link mathematics with ICT and develop skills in both subjects.

p.26

Commentary

72. The subject is well led by the coordinator who has a good awareness of the strengths and weakness of the subject. This knowledge derives from her effective monitoring and evaluation of colleagues’ teaching, planning and her analysis of pupils’ work. Whole school targets for learning are set in mathematics but there is no systematic recording of their impact. Previous attempts to provide more focused targets for groups and individuals were deemed ineffective and consequently abandoned. This means that pupils do not know precisely what is expected of them and what they should do in order to improve their work and achieve even better results.

p.27

Mathematics across the curriculum

73. Overall, this aspect of provision is under developed. Teachers do not ensure that pupils use skills, such as data handling, that have been learned in ICT to support work in mathematics lessons.

p.27

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The school teaches the whole of the National curriculum in a systematic way. • Lessons often include practical activities. • Assessment, recording and tracking of pupils’ progress is unsatisfactory.

p.27

Commentary

74. Standards and achievement in science are broadly satisfactory at Year 2 and Year 6. By the end of Year 6 their books show that they have covered work at the level expected of this age. Few show much sign of work beyond this level although the proportion of pupils gaining the higher level 5 in the national tests is broadly average. There is little indication in the books of pupils being set tasks in science to match the different abilities in a class. All pupils appear to work on very similar tasks at the same level of difficulty. Less able pupils, including those with special needs, achieve well because of the good support classroom assistants give them.

p.27

Commentary

75. Much of the work that pupils cover includes practical activities, like making various kinds of circuits. This topic is covered in most year groups, building upon what was learned earlier. In this way Year 2 pupils learn to construct a simple circuit to make a bulb light up. In a good lesson seen during the inspection, the more able pupils were encouraged to experiment to see if they could make the bulb brighter. By Year 6, pupils learn to make parallel and series circuits and to use circuit diagrams with the correct symbols in place. In a good lesson observed at Year 6, the more able pupils were given harder tasks and the least able, and those with English as an additional language, were very well supported by classroom assistants and achieved well.

p.27

Commentary

76. Overall teaching, learning and achievement are satisfactory for most pupils. Teachers work well with classroom assistants to ensure that pupils with special needs, including those from the hearing unit, or with English as an additional language get the extra help they need to complete tasks successfully. Teachers work hard to make sure all pupils are fully included in the lessons. However, teachers also plan and deliver most lessons to a prescribed format that does not encourage pupils, particularly the most able, to be creative in their thinking or

p.27

Commentary

take responsibility for their own learning. Consequently, although pupils enjoy their lessons, try Kingsbury Green Primary School - 28 hard and behave well, they say that they would like more opportunities to devise and plan their own investigations more often.

p.27

Commentary

77. Assessment arrangements are unsatisfactory. New systems are being introduced but the school does not have efficient and effective ways of checking how well pupils are doing so that it can track their individual progress and see exactly what each one needs to learn next. Marking in books rarely tells pupils what is good about their work and how to make it better. Systems for recording how well they have learned each unit of work and for setting targets for individuals for the future are not good enough. Leadership in science is satisfactory and the coordinator is committed to continuous improvement. Management is unsatisfactory because the school does not have effective enough systems for checking how well it is doing. Consequently, it cannot plan future developments based on a thorough and rigorous analysis of past performance.

p.28

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Provision in information and communication technology (ICT) is satisfactory .

p.28

Main strengths and weaknesses

• ICT is well led and managed and this had led to significant improvements since the previous inspection. • Teaching is good, especially in Years 1 and 2. • Support for pupils with special educational needs including those with hearing impairment is good. • Resources and staff confidence in the teaching of control technology are not good enough. • ICT is not used effectively to support other subjects and reinforce skills learned in ICT lessons.

p.28

Commentary

78. By the end of Year 2, pupils achieve well and attain the expected levels. By the end of Year 6, pupils’ achievements are sound and their attainment is satisfactory. This is an improvement since the previous inspection, which judged that standards of attainment were below national expectations in some aspects of ICT for older junior aged pupils. The application of ICT to support learning in other areas of the curriculum is satisfactory but could be better.

p.28

Commentary

79. The improvements that have taken place are due to a number of factors. They are, the purchase of modern equipment and software, an improved curriculum and increased teacher competence that results from effective in-service training. Much of this training has been planned and led well by the subject coordinator.

p.28

Commentary

80. Teachers plan a wide range of experiences for pupils. Sometimes these are linked well to other subjects. For example, when Year 2 pupils compile text, they draw on their knowledge of capital and lower case letters learned in literacy to write accurate messages. Year 6 pupils combine successfully a range of texts and images in order to make Power Point presentations related to their autobiographies. When ICT is used in these ways pupils derive much benefit from their learning. However, too often such useful opportunities to link different subjects are missed.

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Commentary

81. Pupils with special educational needs use ICT successfully. They make good progress in their learning due to the amount and quality of support that they receive from teachers and classroom assistants. Pupils who speak English as an additional language receive some additional help from teachers and classroom assistants and as a result they make satisfactory progress and attain the expected levels.

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Commentary

82. Teaching and learning are good in Years 1 and 2 where learning builds incrementally on pupils’ prior knowledge. They are satisfactory in Years 3 to 6. Assessment arrangements are satisfactory. Some teachers still lack confidence in teaching control technology. Pupils work Kingsbury Green Primary School - 29 well collaboratively and the school’s inclusive practice successfully promotes personal and social development. The good financial investment in acquiring new equipment has had a beneficial impact on pupils’ learning.

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Commentary

83. ICT is well led by the subject coordinator who has a good awareness of the strengths and weakness of the subject. This knowledge derives from her effective monitoring and evaluation of colleagues’ teaching, planning and analysis of pupils’ work.

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Information and communication technology across the curriculum

84. Overall, this aspect of provision is under developed. There are some good examples of the use of ICT across the curriculum such as those identified above. Notwithstanding, teachers need to develop their knowledge further in order to improve their teaching and promote the better cross-curricular use of ICT. This might include for example, the application of word processing skills to writing in history and other subjects.

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Main strengths and weaknesses:

• RE is delivered in a way that promotes respect and interest in different faiths and beliefs. It makes a good contribution to pupils’ personal and cultural development. • At times the work is not sufficiently pitched at the different needs of pupils. This means that some pupils do not have enough challenge and some pupils struggle with the work set. • Computers are not used enough to support teaching and learning.

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Commentary

85. Scrutiny of pupils’ books in Year 1 and Year 2 shows that the school covers the agreed syllabus. They are taught to appreciate the special place of nature and the importance of water and light in various religions. From discussion with Year 2 pupils, they understand that items such as candles can have religious significance. Some write their own simple personal prayers such as, ‘thank you for animals, insects, and people, trees, the sun and moon’.

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Commentary

86. Older pupils are taught about different world faiths. The insight pupils gain into different cultures and religions contributes well to their personal and cultural development. From discussion with Year 6, pupils show they have a clear understanding of what it means to belong to a religious community. They understand the significance of symbolism to various religions.

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Commentary

87. A strength of the curriculum is the way it is builds and draws on the children’s knowledge of their own religious traditions. There are examples in work books of pupils being invited to share their own religious knowledge. From discussion with pupils it is clear that they respond well to this and many bring items from home for use in lessons.

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Commentary

88. The school organizes a number of visits to local churches and invites speakers such as local ministers and visitors from the Buddhist temple. However, visits to non Christian places of worship remain limited.

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Commentary

89. Teaching is satisfactory across the school, with some good features. Relationships and behaviour are good and support staff are used well to ensure pupils with any physical, learning or behavioral needs are included in lessons. Teachers’ expectations of work are generally Kingsbury Green Primary School - 30 satisfactory, but not enough is expected of some pupils’ presentation, which can be untidy. This is partly because some pupils struggle with the amount they are expected to write.

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Commentary

90. The subject is satisfactorily led. The co-ordinator has addressed the weaknesses identified at the time of the previous inspection and improved curriculum provision. She monitors the planning and gives regular advice to colleagues.

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HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY

Provision in history and geography is satisfactory .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Low expectations of pupils’ capabilities with limited evidence of opportunities for pupils to pursue their own research and to present their work as well as they might.

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Commentary

91. Provision for history and geography was not a focus area for this inspection. The previous inspection reported that provision was satisfactory and standards were in line with expectation. Current sampling of inspection evidence judges that provision for history and geography is broadly satisfactory. Most pupils make satisfactory progress and reach satisfactory standards in subject knowledge but achievement is not as good as it could be because pupils do not get enough opportunities to pursue their own lines of research and there is too little emphasis on acquiring historical and geographical skills. One lesson was observed in history. Teaching was satisfactory but the pace of learning was slow and this held back progress for some pupils. Pupils with hearing impairment made better progress because of the quality of support that they received from the deaf communicator. In response to criticisms made in the past

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Commentary

inspection, the school has adopted a new scheme of work in history but it is not possible to make a judgement relating to its impact on teaching and learning. No lessons were observed in geography, but work seen indicates appropriate coverage and satisfactory progress.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

There was not enough evidence to be able to make judgements about the quality of music and physical education during the inspection. Provision in art and design and design and technology is satisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• There are no major strengths and weaknesses in these subjects.

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Commentary

92. There was not sufficient evidence in the subjects during the second week of the year or from the last year that would enable informed judgements to be made about standards, teaching and learning. Sampling of pupils’ work and teachers’ plans indicate that the subjects are planned and taught over the year, following national guidelines to ensure appropriate coverage of the subjects. Resources are satisfactory in both subjects. Kingsbury Green Primary School - 31 93. In art and design, in Year 6, pupils look at the proportions of moving figures and produce pencil sketches of them with light and shade to create depth. Pupils have sketchbooks but they are not used effectively and do not show the development of skills year on year. Across the school, pupils use different materials and learn to experiment with colour, patterns and textures. The pupils in Year 6 talked about producing a picture of Van Gogh’s ‘Sunflowers’ using ICT.

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Commentary

However, there is insufficient evidence that the pupils are introduced to a good range of different art and artists.

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Commentary

94. Art and design are used satisfactorily to support other areas of the curriculum, for example, in the mosaics on the Romans produced by Year 4 pupils. Teaching was only seen in a Year 4 lesson, which was unsatisfactory because pupils did not understand what was expected of them and consequently made insufficient progress. Teaching did not focus on developing pupils’ skills and composition in art.

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Commentary

95. In design and technology, resources have improved since the last inspection, and are now satisfactory and offer pupils better provision in the subject. The only lesson seen was in Year 1, where teaching was very good. The teacher planned the activities very carefully and organised resources very well to promote the pupils’ interest and develop their skills. They worked with enthusiasm and almost all of them made sliding cards for the nursery rhyme ‘Humpty, Dumpty sat on a wall.’ The evidence shows that pupils in all years learn to design and make things as outlined in national guidance.

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Commentary

96. There was no evidence of pupils considering what has worked well and what could be improved in art and design or in design and technology.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

Provision in personal, social and health education (PSHE) is satisfactory .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The school encourages pupils with disabilities and the able bodied to work closely together. • There is a strong policy of including all pupils regardless of gender, ethnicity, ability or disability to appreciate the needs of others. • The school has an elected school council. • There are too few opportunities within lessons for pupils to take responsibility for their own learning.

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Commentary

97. The school has all the relevant policies in place to promote PSHE including those for sex education and drugs awareness. Through lessons on science pupils learn about themselves and how they develop physically as well as what they need to stay healthy and fit. This is an integral part of the science curriculum. In RE and through assemblies pupils get the chance to consider the moral, social and spiritual aspects of growing up. In these sessions they begin to appreciate the needs of others and to reflect upon their own actions. By working together in lessons in various subjects they grow to appreciate the similarities and differences between people of different races and religious backgrounds. They learn to co-operate and share tasks and equipment. They appreciate the needs of those with disabilities and enjoy working with pupils from the unit. They grow to understand that people with disabilities enjoy much the

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Commentary

same things as able bodied people. Consequently, they have a healthy regard for the pupils in school with disabilities and appreciate their particular contributions while realising that they may not be able to participate as fully in all the physical activities as they might like to. Kingsbury Green Primary School - 32 98. The pupils appreciate the work of the school council. This gives those on the council the opportunity to represent the views of others in school and work with staff to bring about improvements. Those who elect the school council learn something of the democratic process and how elections work.

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Commentary

99. While there is much that is good about the way the school promotes PSHE there is room for improvement. For example, the school does not provide enough opportunities for pupils to take responsibility for their own learning or evaluating their own achievements. Too often all the learning is prescribed by the teacher and does not allow the opportunity for pupils to follow up their own interests within the topic being studied or to plan their own research. In history and science, for example, teachers set the overall area of study in line with the National Curriculum. Within that overall topic the teachers then say precisely what pupils will learn in each lesson, how they will learn it and how they will record what they have learned. As pupils move through the school they could easily set their own learning goals within the overall framework, plan how to achieve them and evaluate how successful they have been.

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Commentary

100. Overall, the harmonious nature of the school illustrates how well staff promote PSHE and their particular emphasis on social development. It is well placed to enhance provision even further. Kingsbury Green Primary School - 33

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The overall effectiveness of the school 4 How inclusive the school is 3 How the school’s effectiveness has changed since its last inspection 4 Value for money provided by the school 4

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 4 Pupils’ achievement 4

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities 3 Attendance 5 Attitudes 3 Behaviour, including the extent of exclusions 3 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The quality of education provided by the school 4 The quality of teaching 4 How well pupils learn 4 The quality of assessment 5 How well the curriculum meets pupils needs 4 Enrichment of the curriculum, including out-of-school activities 4 Accommodation and resources 3 Pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety 3 Support, advice and guidance for pupils 4 How well the school seeks and acts on pupils’ views 4 The effectiveness of the school’s links with parents 4 The quality of the school’s links with the community 4 The school’s links with other schools and colleges 4

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The leadership and management of the school 4 The governance of the school 4 The leadership of the headteacher 4 The leadership of other key staff 4 The effectiveness of management 5

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Inspectors make judgements on a scale: excellent (grade 1); very good (2); good (3); satisfactory (4); unsatisfactory (5); poor (6); very poor (7).

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