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Preston Support Centre Ringway House Ringway Preston Lancashire PR1 3HQ Direct Tel 0800 389 5686 Direct Fax 01772 565353/565299

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Mr S Spooner Headteacher Broadwater Farm Primary School Moira Close Tottenham London N17 6HZ

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Implementation of Broadwater Farm Primary School's Action Plan

Following my visit to your school on 7 and 8 June 2005 with my colleague Sheila Nolan, Additional Inspector, I write to confirm the findings and to notify you of the outcomes.

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Implementation of Broadwater Farm Primary School's Action Plan

As you know, the inspection was part of a policy involving a broader series of visits by HMI and Additional Inspectors to check on the development and improvement of schools which have been designated by their section 10 inspection as having serious weaknesses. You will recall that the focus of the inspection was to assess: the quality of the action plan; the pupils’ standards of attainment and their progress; the quality of education provided; the leadership and management of the school; the pupils’ attitudes and behaviour; and the progress that has been made in implementing the action plan and removing the causes of the serious weaknesses.

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Implementation of Broadwater Farm Primary School's Action Plan

During the visit we inspected 21 part lessons, principally in Key Stage 2; attended a registration period and an assembly; scrutinised a wide range of documentation provided by the school; and held discussions with you and nominated staff on the areas for improvement identified in the section 10 inspection. We also examined a range of pupils' work and spoke informally with other staff and pupils, and held a discussion with a senior adviser and the school’s link inspector from the LEA.

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Implementation of Broadwater Farm Primary School's Action Plan

On the basis of the evidence gathered during the visit, we made the following observations to you, the chair of governors and two representatives of the LEA.

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Implementation of Broadwater Farm Primary School's Action Plan

Standards of achievement are below those expected. There are, however, encouraging indications of sound progress made by most pupils during many lessons. The school has set ambitious targets for the progress of the pupils in Year 6. Recent testing has suggested that, although these will not be achieved by all pupils, the school’s results this year in the national tests at the end of Key Stage 2 will rise considerably above those of 2004. The school supports the pupils’ personal development well. Attitudes to learning and behaviour in lessons were almost always good. In only one lesson did the pupils’ unsatisfactory behaviour hinder learning. Behaviour around the school and at break times was also good. The pupils were courteous to visitors and keen and confident enough to engage in conversation with adults. They reported that they felt listened too, and safe and secure within the school. Relationships between the

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Implementation of Broadwater Farm Primary School's Action Plan

pupils and between the pupils and the adults in this multi-cultural community were harmonious.

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Implementation of Broadwater Farm Primary School's Action Plan

The school has made robust efforts to improve the pupils’ punctuality to school and has achieved some success. Poor punctuality has decreased at Key Stage 2 but there has been only a limited improvement in Years 1 and 2. On the first day of the inspection nine of the younger pupils were late for school as were six pupils in Years 4 to 6. The school is continuing to attempt to involve parents more closely in their children’s education.

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Implementation of Broadwater Farm Primary School's Action Plan

Attendance remains below the national median for primary schools. The pupils’ rate of attendance for the academic year so far has been approximately 92 per cent. Generally, attendance is better among the older year groups than among younger pupils. Important changes to the school’s systems to track and record attendance have heightened the awareness of all staff of the important link between good attendance and attainment. However, unauthorised absence remains high, particularly for Year 5 in this current year.

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Implementation of Broadwater Farm Primary School's Action Plan

The quality of teaching was satisfactory or better in all of the lessons seen, and it was good in almost half of them. When compared with the inspection of November 2004, teaching has improved. Unsatisfactory teaching has been mostly eradicated and the school has sustained the level of good teaching.

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Implementation of Broadwater Farm Primary School's Action Plan

Strengths in teaching were founded on good relationships and secure classroom management. Weekly planning in teams enables teachers to share ideas about the content of lessons and to clarify expectations of what the pupils should achieve. Visual and other resources, including information and communication technology (ICT), are used effectively to demonstrate and model concepts and skills and to widen the pupils’ horizons. The best lessons were well structured with clear learning outcomes, good questioning and the sensitive use of praise to reward effort and productive learning. The setting of pupils for some of their lessons in Key Stage 2 supports the teachers’ rising expectations for the most able pupils as does the whole-school focus on matching work to the pupils’ prior learning. Many of the teachers have, furthermore, adopted a variety of powerful approaches to meet the pupils’ needs for language and for learning.

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Implementation of Broadwater Farm Primary School's Action Plan

Less effective lessons, of which there were four, often lacked a sense of urgency. The teachers expected too little of the pupils in terms of the quantity and pace of the work completed and sometimes in the levels of challenge provided. In contrast to the most successful lessons, there was too little variety in the activities provided for the pupils. As a result, some pupils waited too long for further work or disengaged from learning. Planning for individual classes has improved, but the timing and order of some lessons, does too little to sustain pupils’ full engagement in their learning. For many pupils, the depth of engagement in learning is diminished during the long afternoon sessions, and in the lengthy period in the morning devoted to literacy. The timetable for Year 6 is little developed beyond that for other year groups and does insufficient to prepare pupils for their transition to secondary school.

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Implementation of Broadwater Farm Primary School's Action Plan

Whole school procedures have been established to provide regular assessments and reviews of the pupils’ progress and attainment. However, the monitoring of the pupils’ progress between the termly assessment points is not well enough supervised and too much is left to the individual class teacher. Year co-ordinators are not yet fully empowered to take an overview of each child’s progress. Many of the pupils have a general understanding of their targets, though not of the levels they should reach. The marking of pupils’ work does not always indicate thoroughly enough how pupils can improve. Much marking, while regular and frequent, continues to be rudimentary and sometimes misunderstandings and incomplete work are not followed up.

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Implementation of Broadwater Farm Primary School's Action Plan

Leadership and management of the school are satisfactory. The headteacher provides well-informed and effective overall leadership that commands the confidence of the community, LEA and staff. Since the inspection he has built rapidly on earlier achievements by projecting clear requirements for improvement and high expectations of the staff and the pupils.

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Implementation of Broadwater Farm Primary School's Action Plan

Senior staff and an extended senior management team provide the headteacher with satisfactory support. A deputy headteacher and another senior teacher each have substantial non-contact time to assist with the monitoring of the school. Responsibilities are clearly delegated for most of the National Curriculum subjects and middle and senior managers are accepting an increasing range of responsibilities for other areas of the school’s work. Training has increased the confidence and effectiveness of many of the staff, and is enabling some subject leaders to start monitoring work in their areas of responsibility.

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Implementation of Broadwater Farm Primary School's Action Plan

A satisfactory action plan has been implemented with rapid effect on the quality of education. Strategic management is increasingly based on sound self-evaluations of the condition of the school, the quality of work of the staff and the range of pupils’ needs. Communication across the staff has improved, though it remains vulnerable as a result of the school’s fragmented accommodation. Nevertheless, the staff is as a result of recent changes working more effectively as a team and it has considerably greater will and capacity to continue recent improvements and to raise the attainment of the pupils.

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Implementation of Broadwater Farm Primary School's Action Plan

The school’s arrangements for senior and middle management are not, however, fully developed. Year team leaders’ positive contributions to planning are not yet informed sufficiently by an overview of the academic and personal development of individual pupils. Some senior staff with substantial amounts of non-contact time have more to embrace in important roles such as the overall management of the curriculum. Responsibilities have been clearly delegated for most of the National Curriculum subjects, but leadership for literacy and for science still rests with senior staff and there is no co-ordinator for geography, nor for design and technology.

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Implementation of Broadwater Farm Primary School's Action Plan

Furthermore, the school’s improvement is dependent on a variety of forms of external support. A consultant is providing valuable support to the headteacher, alleviating undue burdens that arise from a low rate of participation by governors. Generous staffing by experienced teachers leaves a relatively modest budget for other resources. The headteacher recognises further opportunities for remodelling of the school’s staffing and management arrangements to reduce costs. Financial projections lead, however, towards a substantial budget deficit. Governors have yet to agree with the LEA a balanced budget for this financial year.

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Implementation of Broadwater Farm Primary School's Action Plan

The LEA accepts that the school’s improvement planning has in the past been frustrated by a limited capacity for management; and that its pupils have for some time failed to thrive as a result of weaknesses in the teaching in Key Stage 2. Before the inspection, considerable support had been provided for the headteacher in his endeavours to improve the security of the accommodation and the quality of the learning environment. Since the inspection, the LEA has intensified its support for extending the school’s leadership team, appointing and training more subject leaders and promoting improvements in governance. The LEA’s recent plans have been good. Its work has been appreciated by the staff and has had a rapid and satisfactory impact on the quality of education. The LEA recognises that the school needs, nevertheless, a more extended period of close and sympathetic support, including for the development of governance, remodelling of the staff and long-

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Implementation of Broadwater Farm Primary School's Action Plan

term financial planning. It has plans to continue recent support and to evaluate further progress through a substantial review of the school in the autumn term.

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1: raise standards in English, mathematics, science and ICT in Year 6

Closer monitoring of pupils’ attainment, booster classes, and the planned improvements in the curriculum, lesson planning and teaching have made significant contributions to raising attainment in Year 6.

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2: improve the management of the school

The quality of management has been evaluated above.

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2: improve the management of the school

Progress has been reasonable, though with much still to do.

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sharp, clearly focused and implemented consistently in all classes

The action plan has been clearly and sharply focused on the main issues facing the school. Initiatives have been implemented, though not all new practices are yet consistent.

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that work challenges all children, but especially the more able

The appointment of year group leaders has made for greater consistency in the planning and delivery of the curriculum. The systematic monitoring of English, mathematics and science lessons and of the pupils’ work at Key Stage 2 has supported teachers in improving their practice. As a result of the recent development of assessment arrangements the school is now in a stronger position to identify more rapidly those pupils who are at risk of underachieving.

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that work challenges all children, but especially the more able

Progress on this issue has been reasonable.

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of teaching time

The school has rearranged the day to provide the nationally recommended teaching time. Planning for individual classes does not yet, however, do all that it could to help progression for all pupils.

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of teaching time

Progress on this issue has been reasonable.

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6: improve resources

Substantial spending has improved the environment for learning, including the range of teaching resources and of books.

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7: make sure children attend school regularly and arrive on time

The school has made reasonable progress in implementing improved systems to track attendance and punctuality. However, the changes evaluated above have not yet had a sufficient impact on improving the pupils’ attendance. This visit has raised serious concerns about some aspects of the condition of the school and I am recommending a return visit.

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7: make sure children attend school regularly and arrive on time

I am copying this letter to the Secretary of State, the chair of governors and the Director of Education for Haringey. This letter will also be posted on the Ofsted website.

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