Woodgrange Infant School

Age group Published Reference no. Inspection report Woodgrange Infant School

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Unique Reference Number 102722 LEA Newham

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Inspection number 269329 Inspection dates 23 - 24 November 2004 Reporting inspector Jane Austin HMI

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Inspection carried out under section 3 of the School Inspections Act 1996 and was deemed section 10 under the same act.

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Type of School Infant School School address School category Community Age range of pupils 3 - 7 Sebert Road Forest Gate London E7 0NJ Gender of pupils Mixed Telephone number 020 8534 2120 Number on roll 285 Fax number 020 5198 1391 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair of governors Ms N Baker Date of previous inspection September 1999 Headteacher Mrs D Stephenson

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3 - 7 December 2004 269329 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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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 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.

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Introduction

The inspection was a pilot of the new arrangements for inspection announced by Ofsted in its consultation paper of February 2004. It was carried out with the support and co-operation of the staff of Woodgrange Infant School and of the local education authority.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors and two contracted inspectors.

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Description of the school

Woodgrange Infant School serves the Forest Gate area of Newham in London. It has 218 pupils and a nursery with 60 part-time places. In some year groups there are significantly more boys than girls. The school has an ethnically diverse population and a very high proportion of the pupils do not speak English as their first language. Nine per cent of the school’s population has been identified as having special educational needs; this is below average. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is in line with the national average. When children join the nursery their attainment is below average. Pupil mobility is above average. The school has gained a Healthy School Award and the Silver Arts Mark.

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Key for inspection grades

Grade 1 Outstanding Grade 2 Good Grade 3 Satisfactory Grade 4 Inadequate

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Overall effectiveness of the school

Woodgrange is a good school, with some very good features. It is welcoming and values all its pupils equally. Standards are well above average. The good teaching and effective assessment are important reasons why the pupils make very good progress. The pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to learning are good. They are very well cared for and, as a result, feel safe, secure and happy. There are good links with the local family of schools and the wider community. The school benefits from good leadership and has an accurate understanding of its strengths and weaknesses. It provides good value for money.

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Improvement since the last inspection

The school has made good progress since its last inspection. Good standards have been maintained or raised further, and the rate of improvement is better than the national trend. The quality of teaching is now stronger and the issues raised by the previous inspection team have been addressed well. The school has a good range and number of reference books, and the provision for music is good. The school holds a daily act of collective worship, though it has yet to plan systematically for pupils to reflect upon their work.

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Capacity to improve

The school’s capacity to improve is good. It has responded effectively to the changing needs of its pupils. The procedures that enable the school to know how well it is doing are effective. As a result, planning for improvement is carefully considered. The governors hold leaders to account through their regular monitoring of both standards and the school improvement plan. The school has considerable strengths in the provision it makes for bilingual learners, the systematic tracking of pupils’ progress and good teaching on which to build its continued improvement.

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Achievement and standards

When children enter the nursery, their social skills and ability to speak and listen are generally below average. They make rapid progress in the nursery and reception classes because their individual needs are carefully assessed and successfully met. Children quickly develop skills as independent learners because of the very good range of activities designed for them, and the high quality help given to them. By the end of reception, most achieve the goals expected at this age.

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Achievement and standards

At the end of Year 2, standards in English and mathematics are above the national average; they are well above the average for schools in similar contexts. In science, standards are in line with the national average and above average for similar schools. As a result of good teaching and highly effective procedures for tracking learning, all pupils, including bilingual learners and those with special educational needs, make very good progress.

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Personal development and wellbeing

Inspectors agree with the school’s view that the personal development of pupils is good. A particularly strong feature is the emphasis placed on the development of pupils’ social skills by all members of the staff team. For instance, playtimes are an enjoyable learning experience for pupils as adults organise, and often take part in, the wide variety of games provided. Their example helps pupils to learn how to take turns and play sensibly.

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Personal development and wellbeing

In comparison with other infant schools, attendance is good. Pupils enjoy coming to school and are keen to learn. They feel very safe and free from discrimination. Pupils’ moral and cultural development is very good. They behave well because the school makes its high expectations clear. They relate very well to one another and to adults in the school, and are taught to respect the feelings, beliefs and values of others. Celebrations of the wide range of pupils’ different cultural traditions are strong features of the school’s work.

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Personal development and wellbeing

The school is good at raising pupils’ awareness of the importance of a healthy lifestyle, through initiatives such as the traffic light system for highlighting the food values of items on the menu at lunchtime.

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Teaching and learning

The school rightly judges the quality of its provision to be good. Teaching and learning were judged to be good, with pockets of very effective practice. The most striking feature is the well considered deployment of teachers and teaching assistants, who know all pupils very well. As a result, pupils learn effectively because the carefully planned activities are closely matched to their needs. Pupils benefit from adults’ skilful questioning, which is used to check their understanding. This strategy also ensures that pupils are given frequent opportunities to talk about what they have achieved, which improves their vocabulary and helps strengthen their confidence.

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Teaching and learning

In the most successful lessons, pupils benefited significantly from the teachers’ good subject knowledge, innovative ideas, and stimulating activities. For example, in a Year 2 English lesson the teacher engaged the pupils imaginatively in role-play to develop their understanding of the characters in Red Riding Hood. Pupils were absorbed and made better progress than might be expected. In all but a very small minority of lessons, expectations regarding behaviour were high.

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Teaching and learning

Efficient procedures are in place for assessing pupils’ work, and information from data is used well to place pupils in ability groups. The regular and systematic tracking of each individual’s progress is very effective, and contributes to the high standards achieved by the differing groups of pupils.

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Curriculum and other activities

The curriculum gives pupils access to a well-planned, broad and balanced range of activities. The allocation of curriculum time places a strong emphasis on the development of skills in literacy, numeracy, and information and communications technology (ICT), though pupils also have good opportunities to develop their skills and interests in creative and performing arts. Planning takes account of the different needs of learners. The wide range of after- school activities provides very good opportunities for the pupils to further their interests and participate with others in sports and the arts, such as the learning of French. Pupils are fully involved in lessons and other activities, including those planned during break-times; as a result, the large majority make very good progress in literacy, numeracy, and ICT whilst developing self-confidence and good collaborative skills.

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Care, guidance and support

The school provides high quality care for its pupils. There are regular checks to ensure that the premises are safe and well maintained. Child Protection procedures are clear and well understood by all staff. The day-to-day care and welfare of pupils are particularly good. Initiatives such as ‘wet brains work better’ ensure that pupils have easy access to drinking water to help prevent dehydration and improve concentration. Pupils with special educational needs are given very clear targets to help them make progress, and these are reviewed regularly. All pupils have individual targets designed to improve their writing, and their progress in achieving these is closely monitored. While many of these targets are clear, some need to be expressed with greater precision so that pupils’ success in reaching them can be measured more easily. Pupils appreciate the help given to them and say that there is always someone they can turn to if they have problems.

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Leadership and management

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher provides purposeful and resolute leadership that focuses strongly on raising standards and improving the achievement of all learners. Her thorough analysis means she knows the school very well and is able to plan its development effectively. Staff have a shared understanding of the school’s priorities and its overriding commitment to inclusion. They play a full role in ensuring that the school’s planned developments are implemented. Regular monitoring of a broad range of the school’s provision is well established, but needs to focus more sharply on the impact of teaching on learning.

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Leadership and management

Adult support for the pupils’ learning is closely targeted as a result of the rigorous tracking of pupils’ progress. Staff are recruited and deployed very effectively to match the language needs of pupils at the early stages of learning English. There are good opportunities for training closely linked to staff responsibilities and the school’s needs.

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Leadership and management

Effective liaison with a range of partners has increased the resources available to the school and is enriching the provision for pupils. Examples of this are the well used ICT suite with regular technical support, and extra-curricular activities such as the football club. Very good use is made of the building, and the grounds provide a stimulating learning environment with safe and interesting areas for recreation and outdoor learning.

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Leadership and management

The governing body is effective in both supporting and challenging the school, and in meeting its statutory responsibilities.

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Grade: 2

procedures set out in the leaflet 'Complaining about HMI-led Ofsted inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.

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Grade: 2

part, for non-commercial purposes, provided the source and the date are acknowledged.

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