Dog Kennel Hill School

Inspection Report Dog Kennel Hill School

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100786 Unique Reference Number Southwark LEA LEA 276387 Inspection number 17 May 2006 to 18 May 2006 Inspection dates David Whatson AI Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Dog Kennel Hill School address Primary Type of school East Dulwich Community School category London SE22 8AB 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 02072741829 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 02079240735 Fax number 478 Number on roll Mr Peter Bibby Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Ms Pat Boyer Headteacher 10 January 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 276387 17 May 2006 - 3 to 11 18 May 2006 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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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.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, 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 carried out by three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Dog Kennel Hill is larger than other primary schools. Many pupils come from homes where there are significant levels of deprivation. The school is ethnically diverse. Most pupils are from White British backgrounds, with significant groups of Black African and Black Caribbean pupils. A fifth of the pupils are at the earliest stages of learning English. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is above the national average, as is the proportion with a statement of special educational need. Pupils start school with a wide range of abilities; overall attainment on entry to the nursery is well below that expected.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Dog Kennel Hill School, 17 May 2006 to 18 May 2006

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Grade: 1

Parents are very pleased with what the school has to offer. One parent wrote: 'What more could you want from your child's school? Nothing!' The inspection team agrees with this verdict. Due in many respects to the first rate leadership of the headteacher the school provides an outstanding education from the Foundation Stage to the end of Year 6, rather than the good education that the school believes it does. Throughout the whole school, pupils are consistently challenged and engaged by an excellent teaching that capitalises on pupils' exemplary behaviour and strong desire to learn. All pupils make very good progress. By the time they leave school in Year 6, standards in English, mathematics and science, as well as in a wide range of other subjects, are above the expected standard. Although the school provides a stimulating curriculum information and communication (ICT) is not used exhaustively to support pupils' learning in all subjects. Individualised

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Grade: 1

support and guidance are outstanding. This is often helped by the school's very effective links with a wide range of external partners. Using more formalised systems, the school monitors and tracks pupils' progress, but these are new and not yet an integral part of school life. Even though the school is modest in its evaluation of itself, it knows precisely its strengths and areas for development. In the constant drive to improve the school, the model governing body challenges and directs the school's work very well. Since the last inspection, standards have improved as has the quality of teaching and learning. The school has a very good capacity to improve. Value for money is very good.

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What the school should do to improve further

* Make more use of the new equipment and resources in ICT to support pupils' learning across the whole curriculum.* Embed further the use of the new systems for tracking and measuring pupils' progress.

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Grade: 1

All pupils make very good progress. By the time they leave at the end of Year 6, standards in English, mathematics and science are above and sometimes well above the national average; standards have risen since the last inspection. Pupils frequently exceed the challenging targets they are given. Children in the Foundation Stage achieve well in all aspects of their learning. Standards are close to those expected at the end of the Reception Year. Teachers in Years 1 and 2 effectively build on pupils' prior learning so that standards in reading, writing, and mathematics are often close to being above the national average by the end of Year 2. 2 Inspection Report: Dog Kennel Hill School, 17 May 2006 to 18 May 2006 The school uses this grounding as a springboard to good achievement in a wide range of subjects. Pupils' standards in the national tests at the end of Year 6 are matched by their good performance and standards above those expected in a wide range of

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Grade: 1

other subjects, including history, ICT and the performing arts. Pupils of both genders and those with learning disabilities and difficulties make very good progress. Pupils learning English as an additional language make similar progress and there is no significant difference in the achievement of pupils from different minority ethnic groups.

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Grade: 1

The wide range of opportunities provided for the pupils results in their outstanding spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Levels of attendance are good and have improved since the last inspection. Relationships are excellent and pupils have exceedingly positive attitudes to learning. As one pupil said, 'I love this place, I love learning, I never want to leave.' The school is a calm and racially harmonious place where all pupils happily work together. There are high levels of trust and respect and pupils say they feel very safe. Through links with a school in Guguletu, and an understanding of the threat to the world from climate change, pupils have an excellent appreciation and respect for the world and its communities. There is a strong sense of community at the school in which the pupils have a powerful voice. In class, pupils eagerly participate in decision-making, and the well-established

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Grade: 1

School Council has instigated school improvements that they have helped to pay for from their own budget. Each of the school's many innovative activities includes all aspects of pupils' personal development. The enthusiastic members of the school's gardening club, for example, understand the importance of exercise that gardening can give them. They fully appreciate that eating the carrots they have grown is very healthy and may help them see in the dark. These same pupils are good entrepreneurs; they are selling the cabbage plants they have grown to raise funds to buy more vegetable seeds.

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Grade: 1

Lessons capture the interest and energy of all pupils. Teachers have high expectations and ensure that lessons build on pupils' prior knowledge. In all lessons, the pace is lively, the work is challenging, and relationships are very positive. Teachers constantly ensure that work matches pupils' learning needs, so that they learn new skills. 3 Inspection Report: Dog Kennel Hill School, 17 May 2006 to 18 May 2006 Teaching in the Foundation Stage is excellent. Activities are purposeful and very well resourced, children thoroughly enjoy their work and make significant steps in their learning. Pupils work hard and clearly enjoy their lessons. Teachers' excellent marking gives pupils very useful, individualised, feedback about how to improve. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities are very well included in all lessons. Support staff are very well-trained and play an integral part in contributing to pupils'

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Grade: 1

learning. The emphasis placed on language development, and the support given to pupils learning English as an additional language, enables these pupils to make very good progress across the whole curriculum.

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Grade: 1

The school offers an exceptionally exciting and well-planned curriculum. It caters especially well for the needs of all pupils, including those with particular needs, interests, or talents. The curriculum in the Foundation Stage is very well organised and resourced. There is a good emphasis on the core skills of literacy and numeracy; these skills are also used extensively in other subjects. The use of ICT to enhance pupils' learning is used well on many occasions, but the opportunities provided by new equipment and resources are not fully exploited. There is a comprehensive programme of personal health and social education. The curriculum is greatly enriched by the use of outside experts, in physical education for example, and to provide Spanish lessons. To broaden pupils' experiences, the performing arts have a high priority. Through links with the Globe Theatre and the Royal Ballet, pupils benefit from professional expertise

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Grade: 1

in dance, drama, and music. Through consultation with pupils, the school offers a wide choice of extra-curricular activities that are very popular with the pupils.

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Grade: 1

There are superb levels of care, guidance, and support that underpin the school's work and for which parents are full of praise. There are robust procedures to ensure each child is safe and well cared for. The motto 'every child matters' is carefully woven into everything that the school does. Vulnerable children and those with a wide range of often very complex learning difficulties and disabilities receive excellent support. Effective use is made of the strong links that the school has with many outside agencies to support the academic and personal development of pupils. The school has recently replaced its own tracking of pupils' progress with a more detailed system that covers many more subjects. This is at an early stage, but is already providing useful information about where achievement can be improved. 4 Inspection Report: Dog Kennel Hill School, 17 May 2006 to 18 May 2006

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Grade: 1

Leadership and management are outstanding. The headteacher is highly valued by the whole school community, particularly the parents; she provides incisive and visionary leadership that helps drive this highly effective school. Staffing stability and the very strong teams led by highly experienced subject co-ordinators provide the vehicle through which school improvement is steered, and success achieved. After a careful analysis of previous national test results the school has recently and successfully improved pupils' skills in using and applying their knowledge of numbers. There is no sense of complacency in the school. Informed by a very comprehensive and incisive system of monitoring the school has a very accurate view of its strengths and weaknesses. It is a dynamic place with a strong sense of direction that has focused resources and energy into successfully raising the quality of teaching and learning

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Grade: 1

since the last inspection. A member of the school community described life at the school as being on an escalator which is always moving upwards. The school has outstanding capacity to improve further. Through careful questioning and innovative approaches to gathering the views of parents and pupils, the governors have an in-depth knowledge of the school's strengths and areas for development. This has brought about many improvements in the school. The governors are very closely involved in the strategic development of the school. They have made some significant and successful decisions, such as having smaller classes for the youngest pupils, in an effort to raise achievement further. 5 Inspection Report: Dog Kennel Hill School, 17 May 2006 to 18 May 2006 .

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Dog Kennel Hill School, 17 May 2006 to 18 May 2006

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Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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learners?

NA 1 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 1 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 1 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 1 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 1 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 1 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 1 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 1 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

NA 1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 1 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 1 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 1 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 1 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 1 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes 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

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes 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

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes 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

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams NA 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

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Pupils Thank you for the help you gave us when we came to visit your school. We enjoyed our visit very much. Like you, we think the school is a fantastic place. Everyone behaves exceptionally well and it was delightful to see the friendly way you play and work together so that everyone is happy and included.Your headteacher and all the staff do a brilliant job of organising the school and looking after you. As you said, because of all the very interesting activities they plan for you, you like to learn. You obviously enjoy coming to school. It was great to see so many of you involved in activities such as the choir and the gardening club.We are very pleased to see how hard you work. As your teachers make learning so interesting and make sure you get exactly what you need to do well, you are very successful in learning new things not just in English, mathematics and science but in many other subjects as well. We

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

do think, however, that sometimes teachers could give you more opportunities to use computers in your learning. Your teachers care about you all a great deal and you said how much you appreciate what they do, especially when they mark your work. The teachers have a new way of recording how well you are doing in your learning. They are going to continue to use this new system so that they know even more accurately what to do to help you.Enjoy the rest of term. Best Wishes David Whatson Lead Inspector

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