West Green Primary School

WEST GREEN PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 20 th - 22 nd June 2005

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WEST GREEN PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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WEST 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. West Green Primary School - 1

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Primary School category: Community Age range of pupils: 3 - 11 Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 224 School address: Woodlands Park Road London Postcode: N15 3RT Telephone number: (0208) 800 4676 Fax number: (0208) 802 8297 Appropriate authority: The governing body Name of chair of governors: Mrs Helen Bodenhausen Date of previous inspection: June 1999

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

WEST GREEN PRIMARY SCHOOL IS AN AVERAGE SIZED, ONE-FORM ENTRY PRIMARY SCHOOL FOR BOYS AND GIRLS AGED BETWEEN THREE AND 11. THERE ARE 244 PUPILS ON ROLL. THIS INCLUDES SIXTEEN PUPILS IN THE SPECIALIST SPEECH AND LANGUAGE RESOURCE BASE, WHICH CATERS FOR PUPILS UP TO AGE SEVEN. CHILDREN START PART-TIME IN THE NURSERY AFTER THEIR THIRD BIRTHDAY. THEY START SCHOOL FULL-TIME IN RECEPTION IN THE SEPTEMBER FOLLOWING THEIR FOURTH BIRTHDAY. CHILDREN’S ATTAINMENT WHEN THEY JOIN THE SCHOOL IS LOW. ABOUT FOUR OUT OF EVERY FIVE PUPILS ARE DRAWN FROM MINORITY ETHNIC BACKGROUNDS AND A LARGE NUMBER OF ETHNIC GROUPS ARE REPRESENTED, INCLUDING 43 PUPILS WHO ARE REFUGEES, ASYLUM SEEKERS OR TRAVELLERS. THREE QUARTERS OF PUPILS ARE FROM HOMES WHERE ENGLISH IS NOT THE FIRST LANGUAGE. SOMALI, TURKISH AND BANGLADESHI ARE THE MAIN FIRST LANGUAGES, BUT MANY OTHER LANGUAGES ARE ALSO SPOKEN. EIGHTY-TWO PUPILS ARE AT THE EARLY STAGES OF ACQUIRING ENGLISH. THE PROPORTION OF PUPILS IDENTIFIED AS

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

HAVING SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS IS IN LINE WITH THAT FOUND NATIONALLY, BUT THE PERCENTAGE WITH STATEMENTS IS ABOVE IT. THIRTY- NINE PUPILS ARE ON THE HIGHER STAGES OF THE CODE OF PRACTICE, INCLUDING NINE PUPILS WHO HAVE A STATEMENT OF SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEED. THE NEEDS OF THESE PUPILS RELATE TO SPECIFIC AND MODERATE LEARNING DIFFICULTIES, SPEECH AND COMMUNICATION DIFFICULTIES AND BEHAVIOURAL NEEDS. THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC BACKGROUNDS OF PUPILS ARE WELL BELOW THOSE FOUND NATIONALLY. THE PROPORTION OF PUPILS ENTITLED TO FREE SCHOOL MEALS IS WELL ABOVE THE NATIONAL AVERAGE. THE SCHOOL RECEIVED A HEALTHY SCHOOLS AWARD AND AN ACHIEVEMENT AWARD IN 2002. IT IS PART OF AN EXCELLENCE CLUSTER AND RECEIVES ADDITIONAL FUNDING THROUGH SURE START AND THE CHILDREN’S FUND. STAFFING IS STABLE. PUPIL MOBILITY IS FAIRLY HIGH AND AN INCREASING NUMBER OF PUPILS STAY AT THE SCHOOL FOR A SHORT TIME BEFORE BEING REHOUSED. West Green Primary School - 2

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

Kathryn Taylor Lead inspector Mathematics Design and technology Judi Bedawi Lay inspector

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

Evelyn Adams Team inspector Science Information and communication technology Special educational needs Personal, social and health education Tony Hooper Team inspector English English as an additional language Provision for Minority Ethnic and Traveller Children Religious education Art and design Gillian Lawson Team inspector Special needs unit provision History Geography 2418 Kath Rollisson Team inspector Provision in the Foundation Stage Physical education Music

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be made initially to the contractor. The procedures are set out in the leaflet ‘Complaining about Ofsted Inspections’ , which is available from Ofsted Publications Centre (telephone 07002 637 833) or Ofsted’s website (www.ofsted.gov.uk). West Green Primary School - 3

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7 - 11

Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

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7 - 11

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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11 - 16

Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

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OTHER SPECIFIED FEATURES

Specialist Language Resource Base 18 - 20

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OVERALL EVALUATION

West Green Primary School is a good school that provides a good standard of education. Staff work hard to meet the needs of all pupils. The headteacher’s very good leadership has led to many improvements and established a very strong commitment to continue to improve. Pupils achieve well academically and their personal development improves very well. The school is very inclusive and promotes very good relationships and racial harmony. Senior staff, key subject managers and governors make a good contribution to ensuring that the school is well led and managed. The school provides good value for money.

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THE SCHOOL’S MAIN STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES ARE:

• The school is well led and managed. • The provision in the Foundation Stage (Nursery and Reception) is very good. This enables pupils to make a very good start to their education. • The school’s test results compare well with those in similar schools. • Good teaching enables all groups of pupils to achieve well. • Pupils lack confidence to speak out in class and their handwriting and presentation skills are weak. • Pupils develop very good attitudes to school and learning. • Attendance is below the national average and some pupils do not arrive on time. • Links with parents and the community are very good. • Assessment is good but marking does not provide pupils with enough information about what they need to do to improve. • There are not enough teaching assistants to support pupils in some lessons in Years 1 to 6.

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THE SCHOOL’S MAIN STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES ARE:

The school has improved very well since its last inspection in 1999. The headteacher has worked very determinedly with staff and governors to address the weaknesses identified in the last report. The school has also responded well to changes in pupil intake and has taken on board other developments in education. Teaching has improved well, as have standards and pupils’ rates of progress. Assessment, pupils’ attitudes and behaviour and the way that staff promote pupils’ personal development have all improved very well. Leadership and management are now stronger and senior staff make a better contribution to the overall leadership of the school. The curriculum and the accommodation are better than at the time of the last inspection. The standards of care and links with parents and the community have improved. The school has a very clear agenda for further improvements and a good capacity to continue to improve.

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THE SCHOOL’S MAIN STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES ARE:

CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE ACHIEVE VERY WELL. IN YEARS 1 TO 6, PUPILS ACHIEVE WELL. WHEN CHILDREN JOIN THE SCHOOL, THEIR OVERALL ATTAINMENTS ARE LOW. ALTHOUGH CHILDREN ACHIEVE VERY WELL DURING THEIR TIME IN NURSERY AND RECEPTION, OVERALL STANDARDS REMAIN BELOW THOSE EXPECTED WHEN THEY JOIN YEAR 1.

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THE SCHOOL’S MAIN STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES ARE:

The table below shows the school’s tests results for Year 6. In 2004, English results were below the national average, mathematics results were average and science results were above average. The school’s results in all three subjects were well above average when compared with results in similar schools. Test results in English, mathematics and science West Green Primary School - 5 in Year 2 in 2004 were not as high as those attained in Year 6. This is because results in this part of the school include those attained by pupils with speech and language difficulties who are taught in the Resource Base.

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THE SCHOOL’S MAIN STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES ARE:

all schools similar schools Results in National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 6, compared with: 2002 2003 2004 2004

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THE SCHOOL’S MAIN STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES ARE:

English D D D A mathematics C B C A science C D B A 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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THE SCHOOL’S MAIN STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES ARE:

In the current Year 2 classes, standards in reading, writing and mathematics are below the national average. In Year 6, English standards are average, but mathematics standards are below average. Pupils achieve well, but overall standards are depressed by a higher than average number of pupils who are still at the early stages of learning English, and an above average number of pupils with learning difficulties taking the tests at age seven. Standards in science, religious education and information and communication technology (ICT) are in line with those expected. Standards in art and design are above those expected by Year 6. Work seen in all other subjects that were inspected was in line with national expectations.

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THE SCHOOL’S MAIN STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES ARE:

PUPILS BEHAVE VERY WELL AND DEVELOP VERY GOOD ATTITUDES TO SCHOOL AND LEARNING. THIS IS BECAUSE THE SCHOOL PROMOTES PUPILS’ SPIRITUAL, MORAL, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT VERY WELL. RELATIONSHIPS AND RACIAL HARMONY ARE VERY GOOD AMONG PUPILS FROM A VERY WIDE RANGE OF BACKGROUNDS. ATTENDANCE, ALTHOUGH IMPROVED, IS STILL BELOW THE NATIONAL AVERAGE AND TOO MANY PUPILS ARRIVE AT SCHOOL LATE. THE SCHOOL ENCOURAGES AND REWARDS GOOD ATTENDANCE, BUT SHOULD FOLLOW UP ABSENCES AND LATENESS EVEN MORE RIGOROUSLY.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The school provides a good standard of education. Teaching and learning are good. The curriculum is good and it meets all pupils’ needs well, including pupils with special educational needs and those learning English. Good links are often made between subjects. The provision for pupils with special educational needs, including that for pupils in the Language Resource Base, is good. Pupils’ needs are identified quickly and the good quality support in class as well as good teaching helps pupils to learn well. The provision for pupils learning English is also good. Specialist teachers and class teachers have a good understanding of pupils’ needs and how to address them. Teaching throughout the school is good, which encourages good learning. Teachers have good knowledge of subjects they teach, know their pupils well and work effectively to meet the needs of pupils with a wide range of prior attainments. Assessment is good overall. Marking, however, does not provide

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

pupils with enough guidance about what they need to do to improve. The accommodation and resources are satisfactory and the new Foundation Stage accommodation is good. West Green Primary School - 6 Standards of care are very good. All staff ensure that pupils are safe and very happy at school. The school works very well with parents and the community.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The school is well led and managed. Governance is good. The headteacher leads and manages the school very well. She has put in place many systems to effect improvements to the school, to develop staff and to distribute leadership more widely. The deputy headteacher and senior managers support the headteacher well and they make a good contribution to the way in which the school is led and managed. The governors are very supportive of the school, are fully involved, and carry out all of their statutory responsibilities well.

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Parents are very satisfied with the school and feel that their children are getting on

well. They are happy with the quality of teaching. They particularly appreciate the way the headteacher and staff make them welcome and try to involve them in the school. Pupils are very happy at school. They enjoy learning and say that school is fun. They like their classmates and friends. They like and trust their teachers and other adults and say they get lots of help from the staff. They would like to see more improvements to the building and to the playground facilities. Pupils have only a satisfactory understanding of what they do well and what they need to do to improve because marking is not used well enough.

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THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS THE SCHOOL SHOULD DO TO IMPROVE ARE:

• Provide more opportunities for pupils to develop and extend their skills in speaking. • Work with parents to improve attendance and punctuality and ensure that absences and lateness are followed up rigorously. • Improve the teaching of handwriting and the quality of marking. • Extend the number of teaching assistants. West Green Primary School - 7

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED IN AREAS OF LEARNING AND SUBJECTS

Standards in mathematics are below those expected by age 11. Standards in other subjects are in line with what is expected. Pupils achieve well .

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MAIN STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

• Pupils of all prior attainments achieve well, many from a very low starting point. • Test results in Year 2 and 6 are good when compared with those in similar schools. • Pupils develop good listening skills, but lack confidence in speaking to a wider audience. • Many pupils’ handwriting skills are below those expected. • Standards in art and design are above national expectations by Year 6. West Green Primary School - 8

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COMMENTARY

1. Overall the children enter the Nursery with attainment levels that are low. As a result of the very good teaching and provision, the children progress very well in the Nursery and Reception classes, across all areas of learning. Their attainment is closer to that expected by the time they join Year 1, but for many children is nevertheless below that expected.

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COMMENTARY

Results in Year 2 2. The table below shows that in 2004 the school’s test results in reading, writing and mathematics were much lower than in 2003 and were well below the national average. Mathematics results were, however, in line with those in similar schools and results in reading and writing were above similar schools. Standards in the current Year 2 class, although below the national average, are overall better than those attained in the tests last year. Science standards are in line with those expected in Year 2.

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COMMENTARY

Standards in national tests at the end of Year 2 – average point scores in 2004

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COMMENTARY

Standards in: School results National results reading 14.2 (15.5) 15.8 (15.7) writing 13.1 (13.6) 14.6 (14.6) mathematics 14.5 (15.9) 16.2 (16.3) There were 33 pupils in the year group (17 boys and 16 girls). Figures in brackets are for the previous year.

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COMMENTARY

Test results in Year 6 3. In 2004, test results in mathematics were in line with the national average and in English they were below it. English and mathematics results were much the same in 2003 and 2004, but science results were much improved in 2004 and were above the national average. Pupils’ results in English, mathematics and science were well above average when compared with those in similar schools. Value added from Year 2 to Year 6 was also well above that in similar schools. In the current Year 6 class, overall standards in English are average. In mathematics overall standards are below the national average and are not quite as high as those attained last year. Lower mathematics results are a consequence of a number of pupils entering the school late, during Years 5 and 6. English results have, however, improved due to the very intensive booster support provided for 20per cent of borderline pupils.

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COMMENTARY

Standards in national tests at the end of Year 6 – average point scores in 2004

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COMMENTARY

Standards in: School results National results English 26.2 (26.2) 26.9 (26.8) mathematics 27.4 (27.8) 27.0 (26.8) science 29.4 (27.8) 28.6 (28.6) There were 30 pupils in the year group (15 boys and 15 girls). Figures in brackets are for the previous year.

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COMMENTARY

4. In 2004 results in Year 6 compared more favourably with national and similar school results than did test results in Year 2. This is because a significant proportion of pupils taking the tests at age seven were attending the school’s Special Needs Resource West Green Primary School - 9 Base, which caters for pupils with speech and language difficulties. (At the start of Year 3, the majority of pupils who have been attending the Resource Base return to their local schools, and are therefore not included in test results in Year 6). In this school, test results also tend to fluctuate from one year to the next, as do standards across different year groups. This is because of the varying numbers of pupils with special educational needs within each class, and as a result of a number of late arrivals to the school. Senior staff set pupils’ results against their good knowledge of individual pupils, their attainment when they joined the school and any additional

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COMMENTARY

needs they have as well as any barriers to learning. This helps them to ensure that all pupils achieve well and to take prompt action when pupils appear to be falling behind. This also helps them to explain any differences in overall test results that occur from one year to the next.

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COMMENTARY

5. Pupils throughout the school increasingly develop good listening skills. They make good progress in speaking, but many lack confidence to talk at length and to speak out in class. Similarly for many pupils, the presentation of their work and their handwriting skills are weak. More attention should be given to developing and improving these. Pupils’ skills in mental mathematics and in scientific enquiry are at least secure.

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COMMENTARY

6. Standards in ICT and religious education are in line with those expected by the end of Years 2 and 6. Work in most other subjects was not inspected in full, but was sampled. The standard of work that was seen was in line with what is expected. The exception is in art and design where standards are above those expected by Year 6.

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COMMENTARY

7. Boys and girls achieve well during their time in Years 1 to 6, irrespective of their ethnic background or starting point. Higher attaining pupils are well provided for because teaching is challenging. Pupils with special educational needs, which includes those with a Statement of Special Educational Need in mainstream classes and the Speech and Language Resource Base, achieve well, and some achieve very well. Pupils entering the school without any prior knowledge of English achieve well and they make very good progress in acquiring spoken English.

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COMMENTARY

8. Standards have improved well since the last inspection, despite a fall in attainment on entry to school and increasing pupil mobility. The school has worked determinedly to achieve this and to improve pupils’ rates of progress. For example, it has developed the Foundation Stage provision and special needs provision well. It has worked effectively to improve teaching and to ensure that teachers are trained and skilled in addressing the needs of pupils for whom English is not their first language.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are very good . Spiritual, moral, social and cultural provision is very good . Attendance is below average , as it was at the last inspection.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• This aspect of the school’s work has improved significantly since the last inspection. • Pupils enjoy school, find learning fun, develop maturity and learn to be responsible. • The school’s efforts to promote very good relationships across all cultures, ages and backgrounds are outstanding and result in a strong sense of community and racial harmony. West Green Primary School - 10 • Attendance and punctuality are still not good enough and the school needs to be even more rigorous in following this up. • The provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development has a very strong impact on pupils’ personal development.

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Commentary

9. Inspection findings support the very positive views expressed by parents about the quality of relationships and about pupils’ behaviour. Foundation Stage children make very good progress in their personal development. They settle quickly into school routines and learn to co-operate, listen and pay attention. They ask many questions of their teachers and absorb new information avidly. Their behaviour is very good. During a visit to the park, for example, in which staff also effectively involved parents, children were very well behaved. They were sensible on busy roads, and staff were diligent in teaching them about road safety.

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Commentary

10. Throughout Years 1 to 6, pupils’ attitudes and behaviour continue to develop well. Pupils are eager to learn. In a small number of lessons in Year 1 and 2, a few pupils found it hard to sustain concentration, but overall pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are good in this part of the school. As they get older boys and girls develop very good levels of maturity, so that by the time they are at the top of the school, standards are very good. Pupils in Year 6 behave very well and responsibly in class and around the school. They provide very good role models for others. They are polite and thoughtful, quickly offering help. They like undertaking tasks around the school, for example, as monitors, and they carry out their responsibilities diligently and without supervision. They enjoy being with younger pupils and helping them to behave well.

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Commentary

11. All pupils enjoy very good relationships with staff. Pupils respect their teachers and the support staff and want their approval. Pupils work hard and persevere well with challenging work. They talk animatedly about their work, for example, their art and science experiments and their favourite subjects. The school encourages, celebrates and rewards good behaviour and achievements. Pupils and parents, for example, enjoy receiving ‘Parent-a-grams’ for good work or children’s personal success. Pupils with challenging behaviour are supported very well to improve. The school has also been successful in helping pupils excluded from schools elsewhere. No bad behaviour or bullying was seen during the inspection. The one fixed-term exclusion last year and one this year were a necessary sanction involving one pupil. West Green Primary School - 11

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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 Number of pupils on roll Number of fixed-period exclusions Number of permanent exclusions White – British 14 0 0 White – Irish 2 0 0 White – any other White background 79 0 0 Mixed – any other mixed background 10 0 0 Asian or Asian British – Indian 2 0 0 Asian or Asian British – Pakistani 0 0 0 Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 27 0 0 Asian or Asian British – any other Asian background 9 0 0

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Exclusions

Black or Black British – Caribbean 22 1 0 Black or Black British – African 70 0 0 Black or Black British – any other Black background 10 0 0 Chinese 4 0 0 Any other ethnic group 14 0 0 No ethnic group recorded 4 0 0

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Exclusions

12. The school very successfully nurtures relationships that encompass many different nationalities, cultures and beliefs. As a result boys and girls of all ages, abilities and backgrounds like being together and build solid relationships. Key to this successful racial and social harmony is the emphasis given to valuing individuals, developing their confidence and celebrating their heritage and backgrounds. Assemblies during the inspection were, for example, based on ‘Refugee Week’. These challenged pupils to think and relate what they learned to some pupils’ actual experiences. A small group of pupils also gave a stunning performance of Indian dance. Community languages, both spoken and written, are regularly used in learning. Difficult experiences are shared and discussed, so that pupils gain a better understanding of tolerance and harmony. Pupils build friendships that are firmly based on positive

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Exclusions

attributes like respect and honesty. They know that disagreements happen, but say that differences are soon resolved because friendship is important. The school offers a haven in which there is no place for discrimination, so that prejudices fall away. Pupils’ views are valued.

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Exclusions

13. Attendance although improved is below the national average and punctuality is still an issue for some families, despite the school’s efforts and its improving monitoring systems. Unauthorised absence is too high. This is due to long absences by a small minority of pupils, term-time holidays longer than ten days remaining authorised and sometimes the fact that absences have not been rigorously followed up. Until recently there was no educational welfare officer to advise and support the school and registers did not meet requirements. The importance of good attendance is regularly raised with parents and pupils receive awards for improvement, which is good practice. The learning mentor works hard and effectively to support families with West Green Primary School - 12 ongoing attendance and punctuality difficulties. The introduction of the breakfast club is supporting some families to get their children to school on time.

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Exclusions

Attendance in the latest complete reporting year 2003/2004 (%)

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Exclusions

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data: 5.2 School data: 1.7 National data: 5.1 National data: 0.4 The table gives the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

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Exclusions

14. Pupils’ social and cultural development is promoted very well, enabling pupils’ confidence to grow within the lively school community. The school council works well. Their suggestion of pupil buddies to help new or shy pupils at playtimes, for example, was implemented and this works very well. Pupils say they feel have a voice in the decision-making process. They learn to take care of each other, acting quickly if a friend needs help at work or play. Pupils are proud of their school and the good moral framework supports their understanding of fairness, equality and honesty very effectively. Pupils’ pride is further enhanced by their successes in national and local competitions. There is a very good multicultural dimension, fully reflecting pupils’ heritages and beliefs, with frequent visitors, visits and displays. New pupils are quickly made welcome. Pupils are aware of the need to support others less fortunate and do

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Exclusions

this well, through regular fundraising for charity. Assemblies now fully meet collective worship requirements.

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Exclusions

15. Pupils’ spiritual development is also promoted very well by the school’s very positive approach to its pupils and the way that self-awareness and confidence are fostered. The curriculum similarly makes a good contribution in this area. In subjects such as science, for example, pupils are excited when they observe growth and mini-beasts. In music and in art and design pupils have good opportunities for reflection and self- expression. Work led by a Japanese artist in ‘Talitha’s Garden’ has resulted in a calm place of peace and reflection.

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THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The school provides a good standard of education. Teaching, learning and assessments are very good in the Foundation Stage and are good in Years 1 to 6. The curriculum and curricular enrichment are good . The school provides very good levels of care. Links with parents and the community are very good and links with other schools are good .

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Teaching and learning are very good in the Foundation Stage of learning, and are good across Year 1 to 6. Assessment is good .

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MAIN STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

• All staff manage pupils very well and very positively and they strive to make learning interesting and meaningful. • In the Nursery and Reception classes, teaching and learning are very good and occasionally outstanding. West Green Primary School - 13 • In Years 1 to 6 the basic skills are taught well, with the exception of handwriting. • Teachers have good knowledge of subjects and about how to teach bilingual learners and those learning English. • Special needs teaching, including that in the Language Resource Base, is good. • Assessment is good overall and used well to raise standards, but marking of pupils’ work is unsatisfactory.

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COMMENTARY

16. Teaching, learning and assessment have all improved well since the last inspection, which is probably why parents say they are happy with the quality of their children’s education. Teachers are committed to the school, challenge their pupils and expect them to work hard. Lessons are well prepared. Teachers and the support staff manage pupils well and very positively. They develop very good relationships with pupils. The staff understand that some pupils find learning difficult, and they work hard to provide encouragement and make learning interesting, relevant and accessible.

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COMMENTARY

17. In the Nursery and Reception classes teaching and learning are very good. Fairly recent developments to work in this part of the school have been very successful and there is a strong desire to improve it further. Staff understand very well how young children learn best. They plan activities that develop children’s independence, and incorporate all six areas of learning within overall themes. Staff keep detailed notes of individual children’s progress and use this very well to guide future planning. Deployment of staff is good and all adults know what they want children to learn from particular activities. There is a good mix of independent and teacher-directed activities. Teachers in both the Nursery and Reception make very good use of the outdoor areas to promote children’s learning throughout the day.

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COMMENTARY

18. In Years 1 to 6 lessons have a clear structure and are well prepared to incorporate tasks that are well matched to the needs of pupils with a very wide range of prior attainment. Teachers routinely explain to pupils what they will be learning and they explain tasks clearly and precisely. Pupils therefore learn at a good pace. In lessons seen the basic skills were taught well and this is also reflected in the quality of pupils’ past work. Not enough attention, however, is given to teaching correct handwriting formation and to modelling well-formed script or to extending pupils’ speaking skills in some lessons. Teachers do provide pupils with opportunities to talk in class, to answer questions, express opinions and develop their speaking skills. Nevertheless they also miss opportunities to encourage pupils to extend their answers and to practice speaking loudly and clearly. On those occasions when there are teaching assistants in

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COMMENTARY

lessons, teachers deploy them well to ensure that they make a good contribution to pupils’ learning.

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COMMENTARY

19. Teachers’ subject knowledge is good, including that for ICT. All teachers, and some teaching assistants, are also well trained in teaching pupils who learn English as an additional language. Staff therefore take time in almost all lessons to introduce, explain and reinforce new vocabulary. They also encourage pupils to repeat it and use it. Teachers encourage pupils to use their home languages in order to clarify their thinking, learn new vocabulary or to support one another. In mathematics, for example, all pupils enjoy learning to count in different languages. In a science lesson a boy with limited knowledge of English talked about his work in Somali, while another child acted as translator. The specialist teaching for pupils learning English is also good. Designated teachers work with specific individuals and groups, often those pupils joining the school late with limited knowledge of English. This helps pupils to

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COMMENTARY

West Green Primary School - 14 make very good progress in acquiring basic, spoken English and enables them to access the curriculum more quickly. Assessments of pupils’ additional needs in learning English are very good. The specialist teacher promptly assess pupils who are new to the school and keeps detailed records of their progress. He rigorously analyses test results and school data to determine how well different groups are progressing.

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COMMENTARY

20. The teaching of pupils who have special educational needs is good, both for the children in The Resource Base and those in mainstream classes. Specialist teaching is skilled and pupils therefore learn well. The special needs co-ordinator and staff in The Resource Base work very well and flexibly with class teachers. This ensures that pupils with special educational needs integrate well with other pupils. This good partnership also results in some very successful team teaching that enables all pupils to benefit from the sharing of staff expertise. The procedures for assessing pupils with special needs are very good. Pupils’ individual education plans are also well written, with precise targets that can be easily measured. Staff keep a regular check on pupils’ progress, both in lessons and over time. Special needs assistants provide good support for pupils, including those pupils who have a Statement of Special Educational

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COMMENTARY

21. Assessment is good. Teachers know their pupils well, keep a good overview of their progress and know what different groups of pupils need to learn next. They keep regular records of pupils’ progress. Pupils have some understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in their work and are regularly set relevant personal targets. Teachers are beginning to involve pupils in self-assessments, which is a positive development. They do not however, use marking well enough to guide pupils or to explore pupils’ mistakes. The senior management team and teachers makes good use of assessments, to ensure that pupils are learning at a good rate, and to determine where weaknesses in pupils’ attainments might need to be addressed through curriculum developments and staff training.

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COMMENTARY

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 41 lessons

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COMMENTARY

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very poor 1 (2%) 7 (17%) 28 (68%) 5 (13%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 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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The curriculum

The curriculum is good and meets all statutory requirements. Curricular enrichment is good . The accommodation is satisfactory and resources are good .

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The curriculum

• The curriculum for children in the Foundation Stage of learning is very good. • The curriculum in Years 1 to 6 meets the needs of pupils with a wide range of prior attainments well. • The school places good emphasis on developing pupils’ literacy skills. • Good links between subjects are enhancing pupils’ understanding. • Visitors and out-of-school clubs and activities contribute well to pupils’ learning. • The number of teaching assistants is low for a school that has to meet a high level of additional pupil need. West Green Primary School - 15 COMMENTARY

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The curriculum

22. There have been good improvements to the curriculum, accommodation and resources since the last inspection. The curriculum for children in the Foundation Stage is very good. It is well planned to deliver all areas of learning in an interesting, relevant and enjoyable way. Appropriate attention is given to each of the six areas of learning and strong links are made between these. One aspect in particular that needs to be developed further relates to giving even more attention to directing and encouraging children in Reception to develop their early writing skills.

p.17

The curriculum

23. In Years 1 to 6, the broad and relevant curriculum meets statutory requirements, and covers all subjects of the National Curriculum and religious education. There are now schemes of work for all subjects, which is an improvement since the last inspection. The increasingly good links that are made between work in different subjects are helping to make pupils’ learning meaningful and enabling teachers to use time efficiently. A good programme for pupils’ personal, social, health education and citizenship helps pupils to make informed decisions, such as those regarding relationships and health. Good curricular links with the secondary schools that pupils move on to, and the primary-secondary transition project, help to ensure that pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their schooling. 24. The curriculum emphasises the importance of pupils’ skills in literacy. The National Literacy Strategy is appropriately adapted to meet the needs of pupils at this school.

p.17

The curriculum

Good emphasis is given to developing pupils’ listening skills and their understanding of spoken English, but not enough attention is given to developing pupils’ confidence in speaking clearly and audibly.

p.17

The curriculum

25. The curriculum meets the needs of pupils with a wide range of prior attainment well. The staff are very vigilant in identifying pupils’ additional needs quickly. Pupils with special educational needs, including those with speech and language difficulties in the Language Resource Base, are well catered for. The curriculum also caters well for pupils at various stages of learning English. This includes an increasing number pupils who join the school late, often entering older classes with little prior knowledge of English, and in some instances little experience of formal education. Pupils’ home languages are valued and bilingualism is celebrated. In all areas of the school there are notices, labels and posters that reflect and celebrate the range of languages spoken. Dual texts and bilingual books and dictionaries are also available. There are well-established systems for identifying, supporting and extending pupils with

p.17

The curriculum

26. Good extra-curricular activities, including visitors and visitors to places of interest, enhance the curriculum well. Pupils participate in clubs, which include choir, table games, football and art. Some pupils learn to play instruments. Pupils take part in a number of competitions and activities and several have been successful in art and in young writers’ competitions in recent years. Visitors such as artists, members of the local community, drama groups and musicians all develop pupils’ interest in the performing arts and support pupils’ work in other areas. The school values pupils’ diverse cultural backgrounds and works hard to reflect them in its curriculum, choice of books and other resources, as well as out-of-school events. Colourful displays, such as the one on Turkish Cypriot artefacts, are an example of how the school values the experiences that the pupils bring to the school. West Green Primary School - 16

p.17

The curriculum

27. Staff are suitably qualified and represent a good mix of experienced staff and those who are fairly new to the school and teaching. Staff retention is good. There is a learning mentor who works with vulnerable children, as well as supporting the teaching of art. Staff are drawn from a range of ethnic backgrounds and provide positive role models for pupils. The number of teaching assistants is, however, lower than that usually found in schools with such a high level of additional pupil need. The headteacher and governors are aware that an increase in the number of children attending the school with limited knowledge of English means that more teaching assistant support is needed. A modest increase is planned for next year. Refurbishments and alterations to the Foundation Stage areas have resulted in good accommodation, with good covered outdoor learning space. Elsewhere the accommodation is satisfactory, although a few classrooms are fairly small. The school

p.18

The curriculum

benefits from a spacious hall and several rooms suitable for supporting small groups. A few classrooms are in need of renovation and redecoration and the surface of the playground is uneven and requires resurfacing. The building is generally a difficult one to make attractive, but the colourful displays in all areas of the school help to overcome this, as well as serving to affirm the value of the work that pupils do. Resources have improved well and are good for most subjects. There are two well- stocked libraries.

p.18

Care, guidance and support

The standard of care is very good and the trust between adults and pupils is very good . Pupils receive good levels of help, support and guidance. Pupils’ involvement in the life of the school is good and they are given many opportunities to take responsibility.

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Staff know their pupils’ needs well and take prompt action to support them. • Health and safety procedures are good, but the playground surface needs attention. • Pupils enjoy very good and supportive relationships with staff. • Pupils’ personal and academic progress is monitored well. • Procedures to settle new pupils to the school are good

p.18

Commentary

28. Procedures to ensure pupils’ care and welfare have improved well since the last inspection. All staff know their pupils very well. Pupils with additional learning needs, or who need counselling to overcome personal challenges, do well because their needs are quickly identified and met. The school makes good use of specialist services and outside agencies to support pupils’ welfare and learning. Health and safety procedures are good. The school is well maintained and cleaned to a high standard due to the very hard work of the caretaker and his staff. Well-trained staff attend minor accidents and ensure lunchtime arrangements and activities and well supervised. Accident records are properly maintained. Required safety checks and drills are in place. School risk assessments are recorded and staff visit proposed venues to assess any risk before trips take place. There is good support for road safety awareness. The Victorian building has had some welcome improvements.

p.18

Commentary

However, there are complex problems with the drainage system that cause some flooding in one playground and this needs resolving. The school is working with the local education authority to try to gain grant funding to address this. The school works West Green Primary School - 17 well with pupils and parents to promote healthy lifestyles and healthy eating and runs a well-attended breakfast club for more than 50 pupils.

p.18

Commentary

29. Child protection procedures are very good and staff training is regularly updated. The designated person is trained in the new legislation. Formal and informal record keeping is thorough, with limited and secure access protecting confidentiality. There is a named governor as is required. Induction arrangements are good. Staff in the Foundation Stage help children settle in well when they start. Pupils who join the school at other times are very well supported to settle in quickly. Pupil mobility is high and some pupils come and go within a very short period. The school is well practised at quickly settling these pupils into learning so that they benefit from being at the school, irrespective of how long they stay. This demonstrates the clear commitment to support all pupils, even though they may not stay at West Green for long.

p.19

Commentary

30. Pupils’ personal development is monitored well. The mutual respect and trust between staff and pupils is of a very high standard. Adults and children like each other’s company. Adults want the best academic and personal outcomes for the pupils in their care. Pupils know that they can ask for help and that adults will find time to listen, guide and support them. Pupils say they like the way that their ideas are valued and their views taken seriously. They know they can contribute to making the school even better. Monitoring of pupils’ academic progress is good overall. It is well established and is used well to plan work that provides challenge for pupils of different abilities and needs. Marking, however, does not contribute well enough in this regard.

p.19

Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

The partnership with parents and carers is very good . Links with other schools are good and those with the community are very good .

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Parents are very satisfied with the school. • Community, school and college links considerably enhance pupils’ learning and experiences.

p.19

Commentary

31. Parental and community links have improved very well since the last inspection. The school works very successfully with its parents and carers so that they are increasingly involved in their children’s education. Parents know that their children are happy at school. They feel that the staff are extremely approachable and very supportive and they are very happy with the way that their own ideas and concerns are addressed. A good number of parents and community volunteers hear readers, or carry out work in the library. Many parents help on trips, enjoying well-planned learning activities with their children. Story telling in different community languages and in English are popular activities. The recent, very successful international evening was well supported by parents. There is renewed interest in re-establishing a parent- led school association. West Green Primary School - 18 32. Parents receive good information. Key letters and documents are also translated into

p.19

Commentary

the main community languages of Turkish, Somali and Bengali. Newsletters are informative and clearly written. The prospectus and annual governors’ report have improved and now meet statutory requirements. Pupil reports are satisfactory. They outline what is taught and what children can do, but there is less about how children can improve. Targets are provided in English and mathematics. The reports for children attending the Language Resource Base are very good. These provide detailed conclusions and recommendations so that parents know exactly how their children are progressing and what precisely they need to learn next. Parents’ evenings are well attended. Pupils get regular homework. Not all parents know how to support their children’s learning at home and the school works well to support them.

p.20

Commentary

33. Community links are very good and are thriving. The school’s reputation has grown in recent years and it works closely within the local community. Partnership with the Salvation Army has led to the transformation of a former citadel into a youth centre that includes an after-school Literacy Fun Club, attended by pupils. Family learning classes are well established and include courses in ICT, numeracy and parenting skills workshops. The breakfast club is helping to improve attendance and is valued by working parents. Elderly members of the community receive food boxes at Harvest Festival. Members of the community also come into school to talk to pupils and support the curriculum. During the inspection period, for example, pupil benefited from hearing first-hand accounts of what it was like to be an evacuee during World War 2. There are close links with the cluster of local schools, which has a positive impact on

p.20

Commentary

learning and the professional development of staff. The nearby secondary school offers pupils very good opportunities to use specialist facilities in art and sport as well as a summer school for gifted and talented pupils. School and college students enjoy work experience placements at West Green.

p.20

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The school is well led and managed. The headteacher provides very good leadership and she is supported well by the deputy headteacher, the senior management team and the governing body. Governance is good .

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The headteacher’s very good leadership and clear educational direction have enabled the school to make very good improvements since its last inspection. • The deputy headteacher and senior management team provide good support for the headteacher and carry out their management responsibilities well. • Governors support and challenge the school well. • The headteacher, staff and governors’ strong commitment to inclusion is reflected in all aspects of school life. • The core subjects of English, mathematics, science and ICT are well led and managed.

p.20

Commentary

34. The headteacher has very effectively established a happy and successful school in which all members of staff work well together and with parents. As a result the school provides well for its pupils. It strives to continually improve, standards compare well with similar schools and pupils achieve well academically and personally. The school West Green Primary School - 19 is very inclusive and there is a very positive climate for learning. Parents are very appreciative of the school and speak very highly of the leadership of the headteacher. The deputy headteacher and other senior managers whole-heartedly support the headteacher and perform their duties well.

p.20

Commentary

35. The headteacher, senior managers and governing body have paid particular attention to improving and developing provision for the Foundation Stage, work in special educational needs and that for pupils learning English. As a result all pupils’ achievements are better now than they were the time of the last inspection. The headteacher, supported by staff, has raised the profile of the school by encouraging pupils to participate in a wide range of local and national projects and competitions, such as “London in Bloom”, “Playground Poets” and “International Refugee Week”. The school has achieved a great deal of success in competitions and participation in such projects has also helped to raise pupils’ and parents’ confidence and self-esteem as valued and successful members of the wider community.

p.21

Commentary

36. Good management structures and procedures effectively underpin the everyday work of the school. There are good procedures in place that ensure the school runs smoothly, efficiently and effectively on a day-to-day basis. The headteacher, senior managers and governors work well as a team and ensure that the school meets all statutory requirements. Effective procedures are also in place to ensure that all decisions are discussed in full before they are acted upon. The governors are well informed and have a wide range of personal expertise that is used effectively for the benefit of the school. They have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and a good working knowledge of how the school operates on a daily basis, through the headteacher’s detailed reports, visits to classrooms and regular contact with key staff.

p.21

Commentary

37. The senior management team carries out performance management effectively and the induction of new staff to the school is good. New members of staff are very pleased with the support they have received from the headteacher, deputy headteacher and other staff. The school also values the skills that they bring to the school. Arrangements for the professional development of teachers and support staff are good. The school contributes well to initial teacher training.

p.21

Commentary

38. Staff with responsibility for leading and managing key subjects carry out their responsibilities well. Recent staff changes mean that some of the other subject leaders are fairly new to their role. They provide sound leadership and management, effectively support other staff and have clear plans for improving work in their subjects. As yet new subject leaders have little experience of monitoring teaching and learning in lessons, but providing training for them in this aspect of their role is a current school development priority. The special needs co-ordinator and the teacher with responsibility for Ethnic Minority Achievement carry out their responsibilities well. They also have a key role in producing and analysing pupil assessment data. The senior management team agree that this provides an invaluable management tool for tracking pupil progress and informing development planning. The Foundation Stage

p.21

Commentary

leader is highly enthusiastic and very proactive. This has resulted in considerable improvement to the provision in the relatively recent past, which is leading to better standards and results in parents being very pleased with the provision.

p.21

Commentary

39. Finances are managed well. The headteacher, chair of governors and chair of the finance committee meet regularly to ensure that spending is properly planned and that the principles of best value are adhered to. The school currently appears to have a West Green Primary School - 20 larger balance of money carried forward from previous financial years than is recommended, as the table below shows. Approximately half of this money, however, comprises specific grants awarded to the school to complete the new Foundation Stage accommodation, and to carry out building refurbishments. The administrative staff perform their tasks very efficiently and effectively and make a good contribution to the smooth running of the school.

p.21

Commentary

40. The headteacher, staff and governors ensure that the school and its policies promote inclusion very well. This is borne out by the school’s initiatives to improve achievement, and remove barriers to learning so that all pupils have the opportunity to realise their talents. Pupils are valued and their achievements are celebrated. Although costs per pupil appear to be high, these are inflated by the high cost of the specialist provision for pupils attending the Language Resource Base. Taking account of pupils’ good achievements, the good quality of education, the high standards of care, the very good leadership of the headteacher and good contribution of governors and senior managers, the school provides good value for money.

p.22

Commentary

Financial information for the year April 2004 to March 2005

p.22

Commentary

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 1,154,030 Balance from previous year 77,597 Total expenditure 1,147,154 Balance carried forward to the next year 84,473

p.22

Provision for pupils in the Specialist Language Resource Base

Provision in the Specialist Language Resource Base is good .

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching is consistently good so that pupils learn and achieve well. • Very good relationships within the school and with parents enable pupils to thrive and develop to their full potential. • Assessment is thorough and leads to meticulous planning so that pupils’ individual needs are met very effectively. • There are good arrangements for settling pupils when they join the school. • Although the change in school after Year 2 can be unsettling for pupils, staff in the Language Resource Base prepare them as well as possible.

p.22

Commentary

41. The Specialist Language Resource Base is a local education authority-funded service, located within the school, for pupils with severe language disorders and delay. The school has delegated responsibility for the managing the provision for 16 pupils aged between four and seven who are placed in two infant classes. Pupils are allocated a place at the base on the recommendations of the local authority’s Special Needs West Green Primary School - 21 Panel based on strict criteria, with pupils’ significant language difficulty the primary factor.

p.22

Commentary

42. The two teachers work closely with special needs assistants and speech and language therapists. This very effective teaching team ensures pupils receive intensive support through individual speech and language therapy and a strong language curriculum. Staff in the base also work closely with pupils and teachers in the main school. This helps them to support mainstream teachers to meet the needs of those pupils not placed in the base, but who have speech and language difficulties, and promotes the inclusion of pupils from the base into some mainstream lessons.

p.23

Commentary

43. The school has very comprehensive and effective arrangements for the speech therapists to visit new pupils at home before they join the base classes, and to enable pupils and parents to visit the school. This good preparation enables pupils who have often experienced failure elsewhere to make a good start. Many pupils on entry have limited confidence in speaking, limited understanding and poor listening and attention skills. However, they soon make rapid progress due to careful, detailed professional assessment and specialist, intensive, individual and group teaching. Pupils develop increasingly effective skills and strategies in speaking, listening and understanding and by the time they move into Year 3, many are reaching standards that are much closer to those expected. Most pupils regularly succeed in the important targets set for them and they are able to return to mainstream classes in their own primary schools

p.23

Commentary

within two years, with minimal additional support. A minority of pupils with the most severe language and communication disorders go on to the local education authority specialist provision for pupils from seven to 11, located elsewhere.

p.23

Commentary

44. Teaching is good and pupils achieve well because the staff in the base are knowledgeable and experienced. Teachers have a very good understanding of the needs of their pupils, which is based on detailed assessment and careful monitoring of pupils’ progress. The team of teachers, therapists and teaching assistants meet every six weeks to plan the specific language curriculum and therapy objectives for their pupils. They review pupils’ progress and changing needs on a daily basis informally and more formally at fortnightly meetings.

p.23

Commentary

45. Pupils are taught all areas of the National Curriculum in the base, although there is a strong emphasis on language and the development of listening and social skills. Pupils have their own flexible integration programme which allows them to have access to the mainstream classes for those parts of the curriculum they can manage to access. Through intensive daily speech therapy, individual tuition and a coherent, structured language programme some pupils by the end of Year 1 make such good progress that they are able to join classes in the main school on a more or less full-time basis.

p.23

Commentary

46. By establishing regular sessions and routines, which include opportunities for reflection, an active listening programme, social skills programmes and drama activities, pupils grow in confidence and develop positive self-esteem. They know that they are valued and learn to value others. In this supportive environment, they also learn to take responsibility, to express their opinions and feelings and to listen to others. This in turn enables them to take part in mainstream classes with confidence. In a history lesson, where team teaching was taking place, pupils from base and Year 2 pupils worked in groups to investigate The Great Fire of London . Pupils from the base were fully involved and contributed as well as their peers. They answered questions clearly, took part in drama activities confidently and showed good recall and understanding of historical events. West Green Primary School - 22 47. Identification of need and diagnosis is thorough and is well supported by outside

p.23

Commentary

professionals. The teaching team uses assessment effectively to plan individual teaching programmes. The teachers, support staff and therapists work together to write high quality individual education plans with clear and measurable learning targets that are reviewed termly. Some pupils are the subjects of a Statement of Special Educational Need and these are regularly reviewed and comply well with statutory requirements. Relationships with other visiting professionals are very effective.

p.24

Commentary

48. Parents are closely involved in their children’s learning and experiences. They are kept well informed about their children’s progress at every stage, from the pre-entry visits and very careful induction, to review and progress meetings. Staff in the base make particular efforts to encourage parents to become involved in their children’s learning and encourage them to come into the base to discuss their children’s targets, individual education plans and annual reviews of their Statement of Special Educational Need. Staff also prepare pupils and their parents as carefully as possible for their transition to other schools at the end of Year 2, by discussions and arranging visits, including those where parents and pupils are accompanied by staff. They organise taster sessions and the speech and language therapists play a vital role in providing continuity and links between schools. The school recognises that many

p.24

Commentary

pupils find the changeover at the end of Year 3 difficult and use feedback from past pupils to prepare pupils for the change more effectively.

p.24

Commentary

49. The school’s special educational needs co-ordinator leads and supports the work of the team, who are well qualified and experienced. She has a clear idea of the strengths and ways forward for the service and manages the team well. The effective support provided by this team makes a significant contribution to pupils’ good learning and achievement. Their training and expertise are updated by regular courses and visits to other educational establishments and outside agencies to further develop their own good practice. Since the last inspection the base has maintained a good service and made good improvements. It has enhanced the service in many areas, particularly in developing the curriculum and assessment, staff training and work with teachers and families. Accommodation in the base is satisfactory and adequately resourced although there are no modern ICT resources, such as interactive whiteboards. Pupils

p.24

Commentary

nevertheless have regular access to lessons in the ICT suite. The resource base provides good value for money. West Green Primary School - 23

p.24

SUBJECTS

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

p.25

SUBJECTS

Provision for pupils in the Foundation Stage is very good .

p.25

SUBJECTS

The school has improved the quality of its provision very well since the last inspection and it is now a strength of the school. A rich and varied range of activities and resources helps children to achieve very well across all the areas of learning in both Nursery and Reception classes. Assessment across the Foundation Stage takes various forms to determine what children know, understand and can do. It is very comprehensive and rigorously carried out. Information from assessment is used very well to set targets for improvement. All staff in the Foundation Stage recognise the immense potential of young children. Experienced and dedicated learning assistants support teachers and children very well. This has a particularly significant impact on the very good progress made by children who have special educational needs and those whose first language is not English. The very good leadership and management of the Foundation Stage are characterised by clear vision, sense of

p.25

SUBJECTS

purpose and high expectations. The Foundation Stage leader has an excellent understanding of the Foundation Stage curriculum, teaching methods and the educational needs of the youngest children. A good induction programme and communication ensure that all children settle well in the Nursery and form the basis of the very good partnership with parents and carers.

p.25

SUBJECTS

Children enter the Nursery with a wide range of attainment, but overall it is very low when compared with that usually found. Speaking and listening and personal and social skills are sometimes poorly developed for many, though not all, children when they start Nursery, and many of the children have as yet few experiences beyond the home. However, although the West Green Primary School - 24 very good teaching and support they receive in both classes enable children to achieve very well in the Foundation Stage, most children are unlikely to meet all of the expected goals in each of the areas of learning by the end of the Reception Year.

p.25

SUBJECTS

A high proportion of children are from homes in which English is not the first language. The school’s celebration of bilingualism is reflected in the many attractive displays, posters, labelling and, most importantly, the positive, constructive attitudes of all the staff. A few children can use two languages, albeit at a basic level.

p.26

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in personal, social and emotional development is very good .

p.26

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children have very good attitudes to school and enjoy learning. • The very good relationships and teamwork provide a safe and secure environment. • Staff provide good opportunities for independence and help children to develop a sense of responsibility.

p.26

Commentary

50. Every opportunity is taken to ensure that children feel safe, happy and secure and develop a sense of trust. The very good teaching and provision for the development of self-esteem, confidence and independence ensure that children achieve very well, develop very good attitudes to learning and enjoy school. Through various play activities, children learn to co-operate and to take turns. During whole-class activities, they learn to maintain attention, concentrate and sit quietly when appropriate. Very good teaching and support for children who have special educational needs helps them to form positive relationships and, with encouragement, to adapt their behaviour to different events, social situations and changes in routine. During a very well planned visit to Chestnut Park, for example, Nursery children shared materials in a kite-making activity and behaved very well on the busy route. Children related well to

p.26

Commentary

adults and other children as they spotted road signs and other features, which they had seen depicted in large photographs and laminated pictures prior to the visit. In the Reception class, dressing-up clothes represent a variety of different cultures, which reflect the home backgrounds of many children. Photographs of Turkish, Egyptian, Bolivian, Somali and Indian traditional costume helped them to understand that people have different modes of dress and beliefs that need to be treated with respect. Most children, but not all, are unlikely to meet the expected goals for this area of learning, but because of the very good teaching and support, they achieve very well and make very good progress.

p.26

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Provision in communication, language and literacy is very good .

p.26

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The language-rich environment and wide range of activities provided promote the development of children’s language particularly well. • Children who are learning English make very good progress in speaking. West Green Primary School - 25 • A well-structured phonics programme helps children to develop early reading and writing skills. • There are insufficient opportunities for some children, especially higher attainers, to develop independent writing skills.

p.26

Commentary

51. Many children have difficulty understanding and using English because it is their second language, but the very good teaching and support help them to become engaged in the lesson and to access a range of worthwhile activities and experiences, including listening and writing centres. Some children are not always able to express themselves clearly and use single words and gestures to convey meaning. All staff are knowledgeable about extending children’s communication and language skills. They plan well together and specific times are set aside for small group work for the development of children’s speaking and listening skills. Children learn to listen well during whole-class and group sessions. The very good provision incorporates various role-play activities. Role-play areas such as a doctor’s surgery, veterinary clinic, pizza cafe, Chinese restaurant and market garden have been provided to engage children in

p.27

Commentary

activities that interest and extend them. Children enjoy bathing, weighing, bandaging and immunising the dolls in the medical centre. An adult works with them to provide the appropriate vocabulary and dialogue which the children soon learn to use for themselves as they make telephone appointments and explain their symptoms to the receptionist. Opportunities are provided to arouse an interest in books and reading and a carefully planned phonics programme ensures that children develop early reading and writing skills. Children learn to recognise some initial letter sounds and begin to write simple words themselves. A few children write neatly with well-formed letters. Opportunities for children, particularly higher attainers, to develop independent writing skills in the Reception class are sometimes limited and this aspect is under- developed. Most children, but not all, are unlikely to meet the expected targets for this

p.27

Commentary

area of learning by the time they enter Year 1, because of the low starting point, but they will have made very good progress towards them as a result of the very good teaching and provision.

p.27

Commentary

Provision in mathematical development is very good .

p.27

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The development of counting and number recognition is good. • Numeracy is taught in an interesting way and learning is fun. • Teaching methods lay down good foundations for future work.

p.27

Commentary

52. Children make very good progress throughout the Foundation Stage. However, because of a very low starting point and many children’s limited knowledge of English, West Green Primary School - 26 a significant number are unlikely to reach the targets set nationally by the end of the Reception year. The teaching, planning and assessment of progress in mathematics are very good. Teachers make learning fun and children enjoy a wide range of stimulating experiences. Mathematics is brought into many activities. Children, for example, enjoyed identifying numbers on buses and doors during a visit to the local bus stop. In the Reception class, children use a hundred square to count forwards and backwards, waving as they reach 10. The teacher introduced the words ‘subtraction’ and ‘subtract’, which children learn to repeat spontaneously. Because of skilful teaching and reinforcement, children remember the terms and use them accurately in

p.27

Commentary

subsequent tasks. The concept of ‘less than’ was introduced effectively and children enjoyed estimating how many apples the toy dog removed from a basket, checking their guesses. Some children are able to use the symbols ‘minus’ and ‘equals’ with increasing precision. A task involving ‘two more than’ was extended in play activities as children made different fruits out of salt dough, counted slices of a banana as they made a fruit salad or slices of a cucumber for salad sandwiches.

p.28

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Provision in knowledge and understanding of the world is very good .

p.28

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Tasks are very well focused and planned. • Children’s independent activities are very well resourced to extend their learning. • Some computer hardware is of insufficient quality to enable children to develop all of the necessary skills.

p.28

Commentary

53. Activities in the Nursery and Reception classes are very well organised and clearly focused. The very good provision for a wide range of learning experiences with high quality resources ensures that children’s independent learning is extended whenever possible. The quality of teaching is very good and helps children to achieve very well in this area of learning. Because of the low starting point of many children when they enter the Nursery, most children, but not all, are unlikely to meet the nationally expected targets at the end of the Reception class. They will, however, have made very good progress towards them. Children show interest and curiosity about the world around them. On an exceedingly well-organised visit to the park, children observed and identified specific features in the environment, which they had been prompted to look out for, such as a zebra crossing and road signs. A higher attaining

p.28

Commentary

Reception child pointed to a group of trees and identified that it was a ‘wood’. Nursery children enjoy drawing pictures to decorate their market garden in the outdoor play area, buying and selling plants. Small world trays containing zoo animals or sea creatures in their habitat give rise to well-organised, purposeful role-play activities, which helps children to develop and extend their imagination and to find out about features in the natural world. Thoughtful staff filled these trays and the trays used for water and sand play with large blocks of coloured ice to keep the children cool during the very hot weather. Computers are used in the Foundation Stage, and many children are developing mouse and keyboard skills. However, computers are old and sometimes do not function efficiently. This restricts opportunities for the further development of ICT skills.

p.28

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

West Green Primary School - 27 Provision in physical development is very good .

p.29

Main strengths and weaknesses

• There are good opportunities for children to develop physical skills through well- planned lessons and very good outdoor play provision.

p.29

Commentary

54. Natural wood and materials have been used to refurbish the outdoor area, which results in an attractive and aesthetically pleasing resource. A very varied range of large and small equipment for outdoor play and activities provides very good opportunities for children in the Nursery and Reception classes to develop their physical skills. During the inspection when the weather was very hot, this area was in constant use and staff provided jugs of iced water for drinking at regular intervals. Some children develop good co-ordination, confidence and imagination during physical activity both indoors and outdoors. Many children can handle tools such as pencils, paint and glue brushes and scissors with growing confidence and control. They work productively both independently and with adult support and develop a good range of skills. During a physical development lesson in the hall, children learned to

p.29

Commentary

control their movements, stopping, starting and slowing down to the teacher’s instruction or to changes in the music. Some children are likely to attain the expected levels for this area of learning by the end of the Reception Year, but some will not. All children make very good progress, however, because of the very good provision and teaching. A large climbing frame is to be added to the outdoor play area and this will provide even more opportunities for the development of children’s physical skills.

p.29

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Provision in creative development is very good .

p.29

Main strengths and weaknesses

• There are many and varied opportunities for children to develop creatively.

p.29

Commentary

55. Creative development has a very high priority in the Foundation Stage. Teachers recognise the importance of children creating their own ideas and developing imagination and provide appropriate activities and resources of very good quality. The environment in the Nursery and Reception classes is enriched by and celebrates children’s creativity. Examples of work, using a very wide range of materials, reflect the very good teaching children receive for this area of learning. In a project about ‘holes’, for example children used a wide range of fabrics, threads and other collage materials to decorate the classroom. In a study of routes to school, they produced a large map and box models of buses, cars and lorries. In the outdoor area, a raised stage allows the children to use good quality untuned percussion instruments to express and communicate their ideas of rhythm and to provide accompaniment to

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Commentary

their singing. Although some children are unlikely to meet the goals for this area by the time they enter Year 1, because of the very good teaching they receive, they make very good progress towards them and attainment is close to that expected. West Green Primary School - 28

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Test results compare well with those in similar schools. • Pupils achieve well as a result of the good teaching and good leadership. • There is good support for pupils with special educational needs and those learning English as an additional language. • Although pupils make at least good progress in speaking, they lack confidence to speak loudly and clearly to an audience. • Too few pupils join their handwriting. • Assessment is good, but marking seldom informs pupils about what they need to do to improve their work.

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Commentary

56. Test results have been improving and they compare well with results in similar schools, despite increasingly high pupil mobility and an increase in the number of pupils who speak a language other than English at home. Overall standards are below the national average at age seven and are in line with the national average by age 11. Pupils of all capabilities achieve well, given the low attainment on entry to school for many pupils. Pupils achieve well because of the good teaching and good additional support provided by booster classes and staff funded through the ethnic minority achievement grant. There are no significant differences in the achievements of boys and girls or of different ethnic groups.

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Commentary

57. The overall standard of reading is below average at age seven. Standards here are to some extent depressed by the results of pupils attending the Specialist Language Resource Base. However, average attaining pupils do read competently and a small percentage attain standards that are above those expected. Pupils are enthusiastic about reading and talk eagerly about books they have enjoyed. By the time they are in Year 6, pupils are more confident readers and some pupils read with very good expression, as a result of the good model that many teachers provide when they read to pupils. The higher attaining pupils can by this stage talk about their books and characters at length.

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Commentary

58. Pupils learn to listen well but for many pupils their speaking skills are below national expectations at the end of Years 2 and 6. Pupils nevertheless make good progress in this area, from a low starting point when children enter the Foundation Stage or join the school later, often with little or no previous knowledge of English. The school has made the development of pupils’ oral skills a high priority. A good feature of many English lessons is paired talk, when pupils talk with their peers. This helps them to structure their thoughts and answer questions and put forward their ideas more confidently. By Year 6 some pupils express themselves in full, grammatical sentences. Most pupils are happy and reasonably confident to talk in informal situations, for example, to visitors about what they do in school, what subjects they like and the books they have read. However, many pupils are not confident to speak up in class

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Commentary

and when some volunteer to do so, they often speak very quietly. Not enough time is West Green Primary School - 29 given to extending pupils’ speaking skills as part of English lessons and those in other subjects to boost pupils’ confidence and improve standards.

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Commentary

59. Overall standards in writing by the end of Year 2 and Year 6, although improved, are below average. Although many pupils in Year 2 are working at the expected level, there are few that reach the higher levels. Many pupils spell common words accurately. They express ideas in a simple way, and a good number are confident about using full stops and capital letters. Few pupils in this age group, however, have learned to join their handwriting. The same lack of joined handwriting continues up to Year 6 for a significant number of pupils. This affects the speed at which they write and the presentation of pupils’ work across subjects. Handwriting was also highlighted as a weakness in the last inspection report. The evidence from pupils’ written work nevertheless shows that pupils achieve well over time. They learn how to write in different genres and most have a sound knowledge of writing conventions and

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Commentary

structures. Pupils’ written work shows that they have good ideas for writing and some pupils use well-chosen vocabulary. Displays of pupils’ work show some good, thoughtful and imaginative writing. Pupils are encouraged to develop and extend their creativity and many have entered Young Writers competitions. The use of computers to support work in English is developing well. Pupils regularly use computers both to re-draft their work and to carry out research on authors and other topics.

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Commentary

60. Teaching and learning are good. Teachers plan effectively to meet the wide range of needs within each class and support pupils with special educational needs and pupils who are still learning English well. They have a good knowledge of how to teach the subject and they have been well trained in meeting the needs of bilingual pupils and those at the early stages of learning English. They link work well to pupils’ own experiences and to their work in other subjects. Teachers emphasise key vocabulary, get pupils to repeat it and to use it, and they provide lots of visual clues. Some teachers are making good use of simple systems for pupils to evaluate how well they have succeeded at the work set, and this is increasing pupils’ awareness of how to improve their work. Most if not all of pupils’ work is marked regularly, but there are not enough comments that guide pupils about how to improve their work. Teaching

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Commentary

assistants, when present in lessons are deployed well and make a good contribution to pupils’ learning. They are conscientious, and are well briefed about their role. The number of teaching assistants in lessons is, however, sometimes inadequate and this prevents some pupils’ learning from being even better. There are good resources for the teaching of English. The library provision is much improved since the last inspection. There are now two well-stocked libraries and classrooms also have a good stock of books.

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Commentary

61. The subject leader manages and leads on English well. This has resulted in good improvements to the overall provision, teaching and assessment since the last inspection. The subject leader regularly monitors teachers’ planning and pupils’ written work as well as the teaching and learning in lessons. The system for monitoring, recording and analysing the progress of individuals and groups of pupils is very thorough. The staff employed through ethnic minority grant funding make a very good contribution in this regard, as well as to staff training and the teaching of pupils who are at the early stages of learning English. Booster classes and arrangements are very effective.

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Literacy and language across the curriculum

West Green Primary School - 30 62. The school has a good, well-established policy of encouraging and emphasising the development of pupils’ reading and writing skills across all subjects. In subjects such as history and science, for example, pupils have opportunities to research information and write at length. Science and geography teaching often develops note taking. In all subjects teachers give very good attention to teaching new vocabulary.

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MAIN STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

• Test results compare well with those in similar schools. • Pupils achieve well during their time in the school. Pupils respond well to their teachers and develop very good attitudes to learning. • Good leadership has helped to bring about good improvements. • Teachers know their pupils well and have a good understanding of their needs. • There are too few teaching assistants in lessons, which affects pupils’ learning in some lessons. • Ongoing assessment and its use is good, but marking is unsatisfactory.

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COMMENTARY

63. The school’s test results at age seven and 11 compare well with those in similar schools, although overall standards in mathematics in the current Year 2 and 6 classes are below nationally expected levels. This is because of the higher-than- average number of pupils whose attainments fall below that which is expected. In the current Year 6 class about two thirds of pupils are attaining at least the expected standard, and around a quarter of pupils are working at levels above this. Lower standards in the current Year 6 compared to test results last year occur as a result of some pupils leaving and a number of pupils entering the school late, sometimes without any previous education in this country. In the mainstream Year 2 class, the majority of pupils have a secure knowledge of number and have acquired the basic skills, knowledge and understanding of mathematical concepts. Overall standards in Year 2 are depressed by the lower attainments of pupils who have special educational

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COMMENTARY

needs and are attending the Specialist Language Resource Base.

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COMMENTARY

64. Throughout the school boys and girls from all ethnic backgrounds and of all prior attainments achieve well, irrespective of any special needs or their levels of competence in English. This is because pupils are well motivated and the teaching is good. Teachers select tasks that are well matched to pupils’ capabilities. Particular strengths of teaching include teachers’ good subject knowledge and their good understanding of the methods recommended in the National Numeracy Strategy. This leads to lively, confident teaching of the basic skills, good questioning, and good learning. Teachers have high expectations of all pupils. They take the time to introduce and reinforce new mathematical vocabulary, explain it well and get pupils to West Green Primary School - 31 use it themselves. They encourage pupils to count in their home languages, ask pupils to demonstrate this and encourage all pupils to practise and learn from it. This not only

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COMMENTARY

supports pupils’ learning, but also develops their confidence and self-esteem. Although there is some good practice in this area, teachers should give even more attention to encouraging pupils to talk about their work and to explain their thinking. Although many pupils have reasonably good computation skills, they experience more difficultly in explaining the methods they use, or in solving written problems. When present in lessons, teaching assistants contribute well to pupils’ learning because they are well briefed about their role. However, in many lessons seen, additional support was limited. This sometimes means that pupils’ learning was satisfactory rather than good, despite teachers’ good input and skills. Pupils are keen to learn and most behave very well in lessons, particularly pupils in the upper half of the school. A minority of pupils in the younger age group classes lack concentration. There is

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COMMENTARY

sometimes not enough adult support in lessons to keep them focused and ensure that they do not, albeit unintentionally, distract other pupils.

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COMMENTARY

65. Teachers know pupils’ levels of attainment well because the school has established good assessment and tracking systems. These are used well to guide future planning and to ensure that pupils progress as well as they should. Results of assessments are also used well to inform whole-school priorities, to determine where teaching needs further development and where individual pupils would benefit from additional help. Marking, however, is not used well enough to identify why pupils make mistakes, or to encourage them to correct their work and learn from their mistakes.

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COMMENTARY

66. The subject leader leads and manages the subject well. He supports staff effectively and has a clear focus on raising standards. He identifies where developments are needed through observing teaching and learning and tracking pupils’ progress. The good leadership has resulted in good improvements since the last inspection. Teaching, learning, pupils’ achievements and standards have all improved well since then.

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MATHEMATICS ACROSS THE CURRICULUM

67. Satisfactory use is made of mathematics to support work across the curriculum. For example, there are sound links with ICT, design and technology, history, geography, science, art and design and design and technology. Pupils apply their mathematical skills soundly in practical tasks.

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SCIENCE

Provision in science provision is good .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Test results compare well with national results and pupils of all capabilities achieve well. • Pupils have very good attitudes to their learning in science. • Teaching and learning are good. • There are not enough teaching assistants to support pupils in some lessons. • Marking does little to help pupils know how to improve. • The subject is well led and managed. West Green Primary School - 32 COMMENTARY

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Main strengths and weaknesses

68. THE SUBJECT LEADER HAS WORKED SUCCESSFULLY TO DEVELOP PROVISION FOR SCIENCE AND HAS BEEN EFFECTIVE IN RAISING STANDARDS AND ENSURING THAT PUPILS OF ALL CAPABILITIES, INCLUDING THOSE WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS AND THOSE LEARNING ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE, ACHIEVE WELL. IN THE CURRENT YEAR 6, CLASS STANDARDS MEET NATIONAL EXPECTATIONS AND TEST RESULTS OVER TIME SHOW THAT PUPILS CONSISTENTLY ATTAIN AT LEAST THE NATIONALLY EXPECTED STANDARD AT AGE 11. TEST RESULTS AT AGE 11 ALSO COMPARE WELL WITH SIMILAR SCHOOLS. STANDARDS AT AGE SEVEN MEET NATIONAL EXPECTATIONS.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

69. Pupils of all capabilities achieve well during their time in Years 1 to 6. This is a result of the good teaching and pupils’ very good attitudes to learning. All aspects of the subject are well planned and taught and teachers ensure there is a good balance between different areas of study. Teachers help and encourage pupils to acquire and use the correct scientific vocabulary and pupils are actively encouraged to use familiar words from their home language to explain and reinforce their learning in science. Teachers provide pupils with many opportunities to undertake experiments and investigations and to learn from first-hand experiences. For example, in a lesson in Year 5 pupils were set a challenging task to devise a fair test. In Year 3, the teacher brought in a wide range of plants and bulbs from her own garden to help pupils learn their names as well as about how they grow. Similarly pupils in Year 1 were learning

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Main strengths and weaknesses

well from practical experiences and were very keen to observe how well their plants and seeds were growing. Throughout the school pupils are encouraged and taught how to record their findings in a variety of ways and to apply skills learned in English and mathematics to their science work. Assessment is good overall. Teachers take time to mark pupils’ work, but marking comments are not always used effectively to highlight what pupils need to do next in order to improve their work. Class teachers support pupils with special educational needs and those learning English as an additional language well in lessons, but there is little additional adult support in lessons to help pupils to attain even higher standards and improve their rate of progress further.

p.34

Main strengths and weaknesses

70. Pupils are very interested and keen to learn. Good opportunities for co-operative and collaborative work in science also make an effective contribution to pupils’ social and personal development. Some good cross-curricular links are developing. Pupils occasionally use computers to record their work, but there is scope for greater use of a range of technology to support pupils’ work in science.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

71. The subject is well led and managed by a knowledgeable and hard-working co- ordinator. She ensures that science has a high profile across the school and that the subject is well resourced. The subject leader regularly analyses teachers’ plans and monitors pupils’ books but does not have many opportunities to evaluate the quality of teaching and learning in lessons. There has been good improvement in science provision and standards since the last inspection.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Provision in Information and communication technology is good . West Green Primary School - 33 MAIN STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

• PUPILS ENJOY LESSONS, ARE KEEN TO LEARN AND ACHIEVE WELL.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

• THE LACK OF TEACHING ASSISTANTS IN LESSONS SOMETIMES PREVENTS PUPILS LEARNING AT A FASTER RATE.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

• GOOD LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT OF THE SUBJECT HAVE LED TO IMPROVED PROVISION.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

• GOOD CROSS-CURRICULAR LINKS ARE BEING DEVELOPED WITH MANY OTHER SUBJECTS.

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Commentary

72. The good range of work available and on display around the school shows that pupils have experiences across all aspects of the National Curriculum for ICT and that by the end of Year 2 and Year 6 pupils attain standards that are in line with those expected nationally. Good teaching ensures that pupils of all abilities, including those with special educational needs and those learning English as an additional language, achieve well. Boys and girls participate in lessons with equal interest.

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Commentary

73. Provision for ICT in Years 1 to 6 has improved well since the last inspection as the school has updated its equipment and systems. There is a now a satisfactory range of computers that are in good working order in the ICT suite, along with an interactive whiteboard. Each classroom is equipped with one or two computers and a computer is available for small group work in the school hall. Some classrooms have been equipped with an interactive whiteboard and the subject leader and governors are planning a phased introduction of these into all classrooms, as funding becomes available. Some of the computers in the Foundation Stage also need to be updated. Teachers use computers and whiteboards competently and confidently. The ICT suite is well used and each class is timetabled for at least one lesson per week in the suite. Pupils also regularly use computers in classrooms, as was evident during the inspection when, for example, pupils in Year 6 used the Internet to research pictures

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Commentary

74. Teaching and learning are good. Teachers are confident when using ICT and they provide clear explanations and demonstrations for pupils. Lessons are well planned and delivered and staff have high expectations of pupils’ achievements. Planning is well supported by an effective scheme of work, based on national guidance. The lack of teaching assistants in lessons occasionally slows their progress. In a lesson in Year 5, for example, although teaching was in many respects very good, pupils’ learning was slowed down when pupils were set tasks. This was because there was insufficient adult help to ensure that the lowest attainers were effectively supported and the more capable pupils challenged to learn more.

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Commentary

75. Pupils demonstrate very good attitudes and behaviour in lessons. They listen carefully to teachers’ explanations and follow instructions well, even when the tasks are quite challenging, as was seen in a Year 4 lesson where pupils were asked to programme instructions to create regular two-dimensional shapes on-screen. The subject is well West Green Primary School - 34 led and managed by an experienced and knowledgeable leader. He recognises that teachers new to the school have brought with them a range of useful ICT competencies and skills that has also impacted positively on developing and improving the skills and confidence of more established members of staff. Class teachers regularly assess pupils’ progress and the subject leader regularly monitors work in ICT.

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Information and communication technology across the curriculum

76. Good cross-curricular links have been established between ICT and many other subjects. There are many examples on display of pupils’ word-processed work in different subjects. Pupils have produced a range of artwork using ICT. They have researched information on the Internet about history projects, the work of different artists, and found out about different sports. Teachers and pupils also regularly use computers to generate signage and labels for display around the school.

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HUMANITIES

Religious education and history were inspected in full. Geography was not inspected.

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HUMANITIES

• Good attention is paid to meeting the wide range of pupils’ needs and pupils achieve well. • Visits and visitors enhance the curriculum well and provide good opportunities to promote pupils’ moral, social and cultural development. • The subject leader’s role in monitoring provision is underdeveloped.

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Commentary

77. Standards at the end of Years 2 and 6 are in line with those expected nationally. As such the school has effectively maintained standards since the last inspection and has made sound improvements, particularly to curriculum planning and in developing links between history and other subjects. These have had a positive impact on pupils’ learning. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and at early stages of learning English, achieve well in history because work is individually tailored to meet their needs.

p.36

Commentary

78. By the end of Year 2 pupils have acquired the appropriate skills. They compare, for example, the lives of Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole, stating the similarities and differences in their lives. They develop an increasing sense of chronology and understand some of the reasons why famous people acted as they did. Most pupils succeed in putting a sequence of events into the correct order and can answer questions about the past. They develop secure knowledge as a result of the carefully structured teaching programme, which is adapted to the wide range of learning needs in each class. This was clear, for example, when the teacher from the Specialist Language Resource Base and the Year 2 teacher together taught pupils about The West Green Primary School - 35 Great Fire of London . They used a range of well-planned and exciting activities, including drama, ICT and research opportunities to make learning accessible and

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Commentary

enable pupils to develop empathy and bring history to life. This resulted in all pupils making very good progress.

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Commentary

79. Pupils in the upper half of the school continue to achieve well. Work in Year 6 shows pupils have sound knowledge and skills. They have for example a sound understanding of some of the main events in twentieth century Britain. They use secondary sources well to investigate features of Victorian Britain and a variety of aspects of life in Britain between the two world wars. Pupils examine photographic and documentary evidence from Britain in the 1930s to discover how people’s lives have changed. Pupils learned well in a lesson seen in Year 4. They showed their sense of time was developing well and they used secondary sources effectively to help them understand life in Tudor times.

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Commentary

80. Teaching and learning are good. In lessons seen teachers made it very clear to pupils what they were going to learn and good planning ensured the wide range of pupils’ needs were met. Pupils’ own experiences were used well to make learning meaningful and pupils were very enthusiastic and fully engaged in their work. Teachers are beginning to make more extensive use of ICT for research and this has the potential to give pupils access to a wide range of exciting resources. Visits to historical sites and museums make a good contribution to pupils’ learning. Each year the school celebrates ‘Black History Month’ during which time the whole school welcomes a range of visitors, and takes part in activities that help bring the history of black people to the forefront. This provides very good opportunities to promote pupils’ moral and cultural development.

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Commentary

81. The subject leader has oversight of several foundation subjects. Although relatively new to the post, she has made a sound start, but has not yet had training in monitoring and evaluating provision. More detailed year group planning has supported teaching and learning satisfactorily but rigorous monitoring of teaching in order to share good practice is not yet in place. The curriculum follows national guidance and provides a balanced coverage of topics as well as continuity and progression through the years. Classrooms have good history displays, which promote the subject and help to create an effective learning environment.

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Religious education

Provision in religious education is satisfactory .

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Religious education

• There are good opportunities for pupils to learn about a range of faiths. • The subject contributes well to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Commentary

82. Standards in religious education by the end of Year 2 and Year 6 are in line with the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus. Younger pupils learn, for example, about Christianity and know that the Bible is important to Christians. They learn about religious stories and the parables. Older pupils have learned about religious leaders. They understand the main beliefs and practices of Islam, Judaism and Sikhism. Pupils West Green Primary School - 36 throughout the school achieve satisfactorily. Pupils with special educational needs and those learning English as an additional language achieve as well as their classmates.

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Commentary

83. Teaching and learning are satisfactory. Examples of good teaching were also seen during the inspection period. Teachers teach the subject confidently and curriculum plans support them well in this respect. In a good lesson seen in Year 5, the lively pace of the lesson, the teacher’s own expertise and her well-prepared presentation all helped pupils to gain a very good understanding of the scriptural tradition of the Sikh religion. In another lesson, however, despite the good start to the lesson, the task that the teacher set for pupils had little religious content or relevance to the topic that was being studied. Teachers provide good opportunities for pupils to write about and discuss their work, which helps to improve pupils’ speaking and listening skills and also provides good opportunities for pupils to share their own diverse religious beliefs and practices. Teachers use ICT satisfactorily to support pupils’ work in religious

p.38

Commentary

84. Pupils have good attitudes to work in religious education and the subject contributes well to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. A good example of this was seen in work on display, where pupils described their own beliefs and what these meant to them.

p.38

Commentary

85. The leadership and management of the subject are satisfactory and the subject leader is keen to raise further the profile of the subject within the school. She has developed a straightforward and clear system of recording how successfully units of work have been taught, and how well pupils have understood them. Resources are adequate for effective teaching of the subject. There has been satisfactory improvement to work in religious education since the last inspection.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

Art and design was inspected in full. Physical education, music and design and technology were sampled.

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Music

86. There is insufficient evidence to make a judgement about the overall provision and standards of pupils’ work in music. Policies, plans and schemes of work that are in place indicate that the curriculum is soundly planned and delivered. The subject leader is skilled, enthusiastic and keen to develop and extend provision further. In assemblies and choir practice, the standard of singing was good. The choir adds a vibrant dimension to the life and work of the school and members sing tunefully and with expression across a good repertoire of songs. In one music lesson seen in Year 2, pupils achieved very well in compositional work. In small groups they were able to order sounds to produce a structured piece of music with a beginning, middle and an end, which they performed for others in the class, using percussion instruments. Teaching was very good because the teacher has good skills, is very enthusiastic and

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Music

has high expectations of pupils’ work and effort. Pupils were able to evaluate their work constructively with the teacher’s skilful guidance. A recorder group meets on a regular basis and visiting musicians and peripatetic instrumental teachers enrich the music provision. From September, some whole-class instrumental teaching will also take place. The subject leader monitors teachers’ plans and provides effective advice and support. There are plans in place to develop assessment further and to monitor teaching. West Green Primary School - 37

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Design and technology

87. The standard of the work that was seen in design and technology is in line with national expectations and pupils develop sound skills in designing, planning and making. Younger pupils for example, design and make puppets and wheeled vehicles. Older pupils follow up science work on circuits to make a structure that lights up. Only one design and technology lesson was seen, in which teaching and learning were good. Pupils were given good guidance at the start of the lesson and they were challenged and supported well when working in groups to build shelters that met certain criteria. Pupils worked well and showed very good attitudes and very good levels of cooperation. The school has made sound progress since the last inspection. Weaknesses in curriculum planning have been addressed and the school has since appointed a member of staff to lead on and develop work in the subject. The school is working successfully to develop the curriculum by making relevant links between

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Design and technology

design and technology and other subjects.

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Physical education

88. There was insufficient evidence to make a secure judgement about the overall provision and standards of pupils’ work in physical education. Only three lessons were observed during the inspection. In these lessons teaching and learning were good and pupils achieved well. Particular strengths included teachers’ good subject knowledge and their good attention to developing and extending pupils’ skills. Pupils enjoy lessons and often behave very well, especially pupils in the upper school. A weakness is that not all pupils are properly changed for lessons, although they do have the appropriate footwear. The subject leader has good plans about how to continue to develop the subject further, including developing pupils’ participation in competitive sports. Football and gymnastics clubs operate in rotation during the summer and autumn terms. Members of the training team from Tottenham Hotspurs Football Club visit the school on a regular basis to provide football skills teaching

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Physical education

during the school day. In a lesson seen taught by the football coach, pupils learned a wide range of skills and techniques. Pupils take part in regular swimming lessons, which they really enjoy.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• By the end of Year 6 pupils attain standards that are above those expected. • Achievement is good or better across all age groups. • The subject makes a very good contribution to pupils’ spiritual and cultural development. • Teaching is good and pupils learn a wide range of techniques. • Work in art and design is well linked to other subjects.

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COMMENTARY

West Green Primary School - 38 89. Pupils in the lower school achieve well and acquire the basic skills so that their attainment by the end of Year 2 is in line with national expectations. Pupils achieve very well in Years 3 to 6 so that standards are above those expected by age 11. Pupils with special educational needs have full access to the curriculum, as do pupils learning English. There are no differences in the achievement of boys and girls or pupils of different ethnic backgrounds. The very good, colourful displays of their work displayed in classrooms and corridors celebrate pupils’ efforts and achievements very well. Pupils learn to use a wide variety of media effectively. Younger pupils, for example, have created abstract collages using a variety of materials. Pupils’ work in the upper school is often inspired by studying the works of well known artists, such as Bridget Riley, Picasso and William Morris.

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COMMENTARY

90. Teaching and learning are good throughout the school, and this is supported well by the expertise of the Learning Mentor, who often supports teachers and gifted and talented groups in lessons. Lessons are well planned and prepared and skills are taught well. In a good lesson in Year 3, for example, pupils were taught to use water and soluble markers to add texture to their posters of vegetables. This led to good improvements. The poster “Dig for Victory” was well linked to work in history on World War II. It was clear, however, that not all pupils were sure of the names of the vegetables and the opportunity to improve pupils’ vocabulary was missed.

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COMMENTARY

91. Links between art and design and other subject are good. After studying the Greeks in history, for example, pupils created vases in the Greek style. Pupils use their art skills to design and create posters. A topic on healthy food choices, for example, was attractively illustrated by high quality pastel drawings of fruit and vegetables. Links between ICT and art are well developed. Pupils regularly use ICT and the Internet to research information about artists and to create their own artwork, sometimes using the paintings of other artists as a starting point. 92. Pupils’ behaviour, attitudes to their work, and their relationships with one another are all very good. Pupils say that they really enjoy learning about the work of different artists and producing their own work. The subject makes a very good contribution to pupils’ spiritual and cultural development.

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COMMENTARY

93. Resources for the subject are satisfactory. The leadership and management of the subject is in the hands of the senior management team and is very effective, resulting in good improvements to standards and provision in recent years. Visits, visitors and extra-curricular activities contribute very well to provision. Artists drawn from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds are invited into school to work with pupils on specific projects. There is a lunchtime art club, and pupils regularly take part in competitions. This stimulates their interest and enjoyment and raises their self-esteem. This work is of a high standard and pupils from the school won the first three places out of six hundred in a recent competition they entered. Pupils and their parents recently visited the National Portrait Gallery and took part in a very successful photography project. The much higher standards and better resources make the improvement since the last

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

Provision in personal, social and health education and citizenship is good .

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

MAIN STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES West Green Primary School - 39 • The subject is well led and managed. • Teaching and learning are good. • Good links with outside agencies are used effectively to support pupils’ learning.

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Commentary

94. The school works very well to promote pupils’ personal, social, health and citizenship education, both informally and through its curriculum and teaching across a number of subjects. Pupils have many opportunities to benefit from meeting and working with members of the local and wider communities. They also contribute well to the local community, for example, through fundraising and by taking part in events and supporting charities. The school works diligently to help pupils and their parents to understand the importance of healthy living and healthy eating. Healthy eating week, the breakfast club, the uptake of free fruit for schools and the provision of bottles of fresh water for each and every child are just some of the ways in which the school does this.

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Commentary

95. PUPILS’ PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION IS ALSO SUPPORTED VERY WELL BY THE SUPPORTIVE ATMOSPHERE AND ETHOS OF THE SCHOOL. THE SCHOOL PROMOTES PUPILS’ SELF-ESTEEM AND THEIR PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING PARTICULARLY WELL. AS PART OF THEIR DAY-TO-DAY ACTIVITIES, TEACHING AND ASSEMBLIES, PUPILS HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO EXPLORE THEIR FEELINGS. THEY ALSO LEARN HOW TO RELATE WELL TO ONE ANOTHER, DEAL WITH CONFLICTS AND TO VALUE AND CELEBRATE THEIR OWN AND OTHERS’ ACHIEVEMENTS. THE SCHOOL COUNCIL HAS EFFECTIVELY INTRODUCED PUPILS TO THE CONCEPT OF DEMOCRACY AND PUPILS FEEL THEIR VIEWS ARE LISTENED TO AND THAT THEY HAVE A VOICE IN THE SCHOOL. TEACHERS ENCOURAGE PUPILS TO EXPRESS THEIR VIEWS, LISTEN TO OTHERS AND TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR ACTIONS. AS A RESULT, PUPILS’ UNDERSTANDING OF CITIZENSHIP, SOCIAL JUSTICE AND MORAL OBLIGATION IS VERY GOOD. THE LEARNING MENTOR PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN RAISING THE ESTEEM OF MORE

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Commentary

96. Teachers link pupils’ personal, health and social education as part of their work in a number of other subjects. In science, for example, pupils learn about the positive aspects of medicine and the dangers of smoking and substance, drug and alcohol abuse. The school uses outside speakers well to support teaching, including its sex education programmes.

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Commentary

97. Personal, social and health education is also taught as a distinct subject and teachers regularly hold ‘circle time’ with their pupils to explore issues such as making the right decisions, bullying and dealing with conflict and racism. The co-ordinator has put in place an effective formal policy and scheme of work. The quality of this teaching was good so that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and those still learning English as an additional language, made good progress. West Green Primary School - 40

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The overall effectiveness of the school 3 How inclusive the school is 2 How the school’s effectiveness has changed since its last inspection 2 Value for money provided by the school 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 4 Pupils’ achievement 3 West Green Primary School - 41 Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities (ethos) 2 Attendance 5 Attitudes 2 Behaviour, including the extent of exclusions 2 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The quality of education provided by the school 3 The quality of teaching 3 How well pupils learn 3 The quality of assessment 3 How well the curriculum meets pupils’ needs 3 Enrichment of the curriculum, including out-of-school activities 3 Accommodation and resources 4 Pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety 2 Support, advice and guidance for pupils 3 How well the school seeks and acts on pupils’ views 3 The effectiveness of the school’s links with parents 2 The quality of the school’s links with the community 2 The school’s links with other schools and colleges 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The leadership and management of the school 3 The governance of the school 3 The leadership of the headteacher 2 The leadership of other key staff 3 The effectiveness of management 3

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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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