Elangeni School

Age group Published Reference no. Elangeni School

p.1

Unique Reference Number 110353 LEA Buckinghamshire

p.1

Inspection number 274800 Inspection dates 14 - 15 June 2005 Reporting inspector Julie Moore

p.1

Inspection deemed to have been carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 according to section 12(3) of the same act.

p.1

Type of School Junior School address School category Community Age range of pupils 7 - 11 Woodside Avenue Amersham HP6 6EG Gender of pupils Mixed Telephone number 01494 721436 Number on roll 248 Fax number 01494 728409 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair of governors Mr Trevor Dooks Date of previous inspection 18 - 21 Jan 1999 Headteacher Mrs Jeanette Puzey

p.1

7 - 11 July 2005 274800 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

p.1

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.

p.2

Introduction

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

p.3

Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three additional inspectors.

p.3

Description of the school

Most pupils have above average standards when they join this average-sized junior school in Amersham. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is a bit higher than average, but the proportion of pupils with a statement of special educational need is broadly average. Fewer pupils take up free school meals than in other schools. A small number of pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds; the majority of these have mixed African or Asian heritage and the others are Chinese. All of them speak fluent English.

p.3

Description of the school

The school has recently received the Healthy Schools Award, Activemark Gold Award and an Investors in People accreditation, all of which have a significant impact on the work of the school. There has been a high turnover of teachers in the last year, and three new teachers are joining the school in September.

p.3

Key for inspection grades

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

p.3

Overall effectiveness of the school

Elangeni School provides a highly effective education for all its pupils. It gives very good value for money and has continued to improve rapidly since its last inspection. Strengths and weaknesses are speedily identified through excellent systems for checking its work, and its own self-evaluation matches that of the inspection. Progress is very good and standards are very high.

p.4

Overall effectiveness of the school

Teaching and learning are very good. Teachers are very clear about the most effective ways to ensure that learning is productive for every pupil, and do so very successfully. Parents are pleased about this. Staff who are new to the school are supported well to ensure that pupils’ progress does not slow down. Lessons are challenging and exciting, which ensures that pupils enjoy learning and achieve the highest standards in all aspects of school life. Pupils are cared for exceptionally well and all of them, including the most vulnerable, feel safe and secure. The curriculum is innovative and exciting, encouraging pupils to play an active role in the learning process and enhancing their inter-personal and learning skills exceptionally well.

p.4

Overall effectiveness of the school

The leadership and management of the school are outstanding. The headteacher provides first-rate leadership and she is ably supported by her deputy and senior team. Teamwork is excellent and developments are driven forward at a cracking pace. The school has built very well on its strong position following the last inspection and has very good capacity to continue this improvement.

p.4

What the school should do to improve further

• This excellent school has no significant areas of weakness, and should follow its first-rate improvement plan to ensure that its outstanding quality is maintained.

p.4

Achievement and standards

The school and the inspection team agree that standards are well above those expected for the pupils' ages and their achievement is very good. Many pupils enter the school with above average attainment. When they leave, aged 11, standards in the national tests are very high. Targets are extremely challenging and were exceeded last year in English and mathematics with a very high proportion of pupils gaining Level 5. Learners of all capabilities make very good progress in relation to their previous attainment. The school is especially good at assessing how well its pupils are doing so that gaps and weaknesses are identified straight away and tackled speedily. No time is wasted. A significant strength is the continuing level of standards attained by boys, whose performance in the national tests is very high in comparison to that of other boys of similar age across the country. Additionally, the performance of girls is

p.5

Achievement and standards

There has been an upward trend in standards across a wide range of subjects. Work in art and design and design and technology is of high quality and there are many opportunities for pupils to develop their creative, sporting and musical talents. The provision for pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities is very good, as is the provision for those pupils with special gifts or talents. This is the main reason why both these groups achieve highly and make very good progress. The few pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds achieve as well as their classmates.

p.5

Personal development and well-being

Pupils’ personal development is outstanding and is firmly based in the school’s very good provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, which underpins every aspect of its approach. Pupils have very positive attitudes to learning. They are happy and they try hard because they want to succeed. Their opinions and ideas are listened to and acted upon through the School Council, ensuring that they all make a full contribution to school life. Values of right and wrong are thoroughly understood by every pupil. School is enjoyed and behaviour is excellent. Attendance is very high so that little time is lost and learning can crack on without interruption.

p.5

Personal development and well-being

The Healthy Schools Award and Activemark Gold Award successfully contribute towards pupils enjoying healthy lifestyles. They are well aware of the importance of diet and exercise in promoting good health and social and emotional well-being. Pupils’ role as future citizens is enhanced in an outstanding way by their involvement in the Elangeni Citizenship Award. Economic skills are first rate as pupils raise funds for a range of charities, as well as selling products they have made themselves and donating the proceeds to charity. The excellent links with a school in Ethiopia, as well as visiting artists and musicians from other cultures, all contribute very successfully towards extending pupils’ understanding of the strengths and qualities that are inherent in different cultures. Pupils at Elangeni are prepared exceptionally well for their life as future citizens in our multicultural society.

p.5

Teaching and learning

Teaching and learning are very good and frequently excellent. Teachers’ planning is of high quality. It is firmly based on the outcome of assessments ensuring that tasks are pitched at the right level for every pupil, challenging and extending their learning very effectively. Learning is fun. Most lessons zing along at a very good pace and pupils' attention is held throughout. High expectations and challenge for pupils of all abilities are evident in pupils' very good progress across the board. Teachers and their assistants are adept at creating a learning situation where pupils are encouraged to think for themselves, reflect on the quality of their learning, and do their best at all times.

p.6

Teaching and learning

Marking is very good, giving pupils clear pointers about what needs to be done to improve. Targets are used very effectively to boost achievement. For example, pupils’ personal targets in their own books are regularly checked out in teachers’ marking, and this ensures that every pupil knows just what has to be achieved before their targets are met. The first-rate systems for assessing how well pupils are doing enable gaps in learning to be quickly identified and tackled so that the pace of work does not slow. Speedy adjustments to teaching mean that pupils' learning is soon back on course.

p.6

Curriculum and other activities

The exceptional variety of activities, both in and out of school, enriches the basic curriculum in outstanding ways. Activities are planned very well in order to respond to the needs of all the learners in this school and all legal requirements are met. The inclusion of French in the curriculum successfully broadens pupils’ understanding of one part of the wider European community. Innovative themed weeks, such as the current Mexican theme, promote creativity as well excellent links between subjects. Pupils are developing their self-confidence, enterprise and financial skills exceptionally well as they plan and work together in teams.

p.7

Curriculum and other activities

Out-of-school clubs and activities are hugely successful in developing a wide range of interest and enjoyment. Pupils’ skills, including their sporting, musical, literary, mathematical and technological skills, are extended very well. A significant strength is the school’s excellent provision for challenging, and extending, its higher academic and sporting achievers.

p.7

Care, guidance and support

The needs of the pupils are addressed very successfully and the care, guidance and support that the school gives to all its pupils are outstanding. The high level of support for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities and those who are vulnerable, enables them to achieve as highly as their classmates. Regular meetings between teachers, support staff, parents, pupils and outside agencies enable pupils’ needs to identified and met skilfully. Pupils with special gifts or talents have equally high levels of support, all of which ensures they attain the highest standards they can. The partnership between home and school is exemplary. Parents are always involved and kept aware of what is happening to their children during the school day.

p.7

Care, guidance and support

Health and safety routines and risk assessments are fully in place and firmly embedded, alongside the full range of child protection procedures. The Guardians of the Playground scheme supports younger pupils at break time, giving them reassurance when necessary. Pupils' safety and well-being are paramount at all times.

p.7

Leadership and management

Teamwork is of the highest quality and everyone, including pupils, parents, staff and governors, plays a valuable part in moving the school forward so that it is far ahead of many other schools in the country. The headteacher’s leadership is outstanding. The deputy head, senior staff and governors provide first-rate support, which is one of the main reasons for the exceptional teamwork. One of the key roles of the senior management team is to support teachers who are new to the school and they do this very effectively.

p.8

Leadership and management

All the data about the school's performance are used exceptionally well to boost the standards and achievement of all pupils. No-one is left out. Governors are involved in this process and they bring a wide range of analytical skills to bear as they ask critical questions, challenge decisions and request explanations where these are judged to be necessary. As a result, the school is acutely aware of its strengths and weaknesses, and its high quality planning for further improvement closely reflects the comments made in this report. It is very well placed to continue its successes and to build on and develop them further.

p.8

Leadership and management

The opinions of parents and pupils are always valued and usually acted upon as their many useful ideas are harnessed admirably for the school’s benefit. Staff are carefully selected for their specific skills and the school makes the very best use of all its resources to rapidly enhance learning. The school has outstanding links with a range of other schools and organisations, all of which promote a high quality education.

p.8

Leadership and management

The Pupil Referral Unit adjacent to the school appreciates its close ties with Elangeni.

p.8

Grade: 1

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

p.9

INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate. School Overall 16-19

p.10

INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

OVERALL EFFECTIVENESS How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners’ well-being? The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage NA The effectiveness of the school’s self-evaluation 1 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection Yes

p.10

INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

ACHIEVEMENT AND STANDARDS How well do learners achieve? 1 The standards reached by learners 1 How well learners’ make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

p.10

INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT AND WELL-BEING How good is the overall personal development and well- being of the learners? The extent of learners’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development The behaviour of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community. How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

p.10

INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

THE QUALITY OF PROVISION How effective are teaching and learning in meeting the full range of learners’ needs? How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? How well are learners cared for, guided and supported? 1

p.10

Annex A

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT How effective are leadership and management in raising achievement and supporting all learners? How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected Yes

p.11

Annex A

The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

p.11

Annex A

Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily. Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise. Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse. Yes Learners are educated about sexual health. Yes The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe.

p.11

Annex A

Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements. Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place. Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism. Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them. Yes The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

p.11

Annex A

Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships. Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them. Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community Yes

p.11

Annex A

The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well- being There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills. Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams. Yes Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in Key Stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form. NA Education for all learners aged 14-19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy. NA

p.11

Annex B

Elangeni School Woodside Avenue Amersham HP6 6EG

p.12

Annex B

We enjoyed visiting your school recently and we would like to thank you for all the help that you gave us. We were pleased to see you really enjoying your ‘Mexican’ week, which was very exciting and enormous fun for you.

p.12

Annex B

We checked out many things about your school and we have listed our findings below for you to read.

p.12

Annex B

• Your school is outstanding in every way. • Elangeni School is a happy place to be. You like coming to school because your lessons are exciting and challenging. • There are many different activities for you to be involved in and these make school life more interesting for you. • All the adults who work in your school look after you very well. • Your headteacher knows you all extremely well and she makes sure that you always do your best. • You have had quite a few new teachers recently and it is very important that any further new teachers quickly learn school routines in order to help you keep on track with your learning. You can help them in this by continuing to be so keen and positive about your learning.

p.12

Annex B

Julie Moore (Lead inspector) Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 0207 421 6800 F 0207 421 6707 www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.12