Village Infants' School

Village Infants' School Inspection report

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101223 Unique Reference Number Barking and Dagenham Local Authority 276471 Inspection number 19 °20 June 2006 Inspection dates Andrew Howe Reporting inspector

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

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Infant Type of school Community School category 3 °7 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Pat Kemp Chair Mrs Heather Layton Not previously inspected Date of previous school inspection Ford Road School address Dagenham RM10 9JS

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020 8270 6589 Telephone number 020 8270 6589 Fax number

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3 °7 Age group 19 °20 June 2006 Inspection dates 276471 Inspection number .

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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

This large nursery and infant school serves a deprived area of outer East London. The proportion of the pupils entitled to free school meals is higher than average. A higher than average proportion of pupils comes from minority ethnic groups, Black Africans being the single biggest group after White British. While a number of other languages are spoken by pupils, only a few are at the early stages of learning English. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities is lower than average. The school shares its site with a Church of England junior school and the two schools are linked by a shared sports and arts centre. The school is part of the School Sports Partnership.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 7 Inspection Report: Village Infants' School, 19 °20 June 2006

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve the quality of teaching to bring it up to the standard of the best. • Raise teachers' expectations so that they plan challenging activities for more able pupils. • Develop the use of ICT so that it promotes learning in other subjects.

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Grade:

Teaching is satisfactory overall, and often good, notably in the nursery and Year 1. Lessons are most effective where pupils are clear about what they are learning, new skills are taught systematically and teachers use questioning skills well. However, this is not consistent in all lessons and some pupils, particularly the more able, do not achieve as well as they might. This is because teachers' expectations are not high enough and activities are not matched to pupils' needs. Teachers mark pupils' work thoroughly but again the guidance provided to promote improvement is inconsistent. Pupils are aware of and are keen to reach their targets in writing. Teachers implement good behaviour management strategies consistently and this contributes to improving learning. Teaching assistants support pupils who are identified as underachieving well. Their effective work in 'catch up' groups makes an important contribution to pupils' achievement.

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Grade:

However, these assistants are not always fully engaged in supporting learning at the beginnings and ends of lessons.

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Grade:

The curriculum includes all national curriculum subjects and meets statutory requirements. It is carefully planned to ensure pupils' speaking and listening skills and personal development are developed. Provision in mathematics has been effectively improved, and standards are now higher than in previous years. However, there is an over-reliance on published work sheets, which does not encourage pupils' careful recording or independent thinking. A very good range of clubs, extra-curricular activities, visits and visitors to the school enriches the curriculum and contributes much to pupils' enjoyment of school. The good links with the junior school have led to the development of a sports centre, which provides a very valuable resource, enabling the teachers to deliver physical education, music and drama well. Teachers make good use of the outdoor areas to enhance the curriculum for pupils in the Foundation Stage. There is a

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Grade:

strong emphasis on encouraging pupils to adopt a safe and healthy lifestyle, and to gain a better understanding of ecological issues. Provision for developing pupils' ICT skills has recently 4 of 7 Inspection Report: Village Infants' School, 19 °20 June 2006 improved, but staff have not yet had time to ensure computers are used effectively to support pupils' learning in other subjects.

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Grade:

The care, guidance and support the pupils receive are good. The school provides a safe and healthy environment where every child is valued. There are good procedures for inducting new pupils and making them feel welcome. Pupils like coming to school because the teachers and support staff know them well and relationships are good. They feel cared for and well looked after. There are good links with external agencies to ensure pupils receive appropriate support. Pupils whose first language is not English and vulnerable pupils receive effective support and make good progress. Procedures for child protection are clear and well established; health and safety checks are rigorous. Academic guidance is good. Teachers use assessment well to track progress and to set suitably challenging targets in writing. However, these procedures are not yet fully established in all subjects. Parents are pleased with the care, guidance and support

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Grade:

their children receive. The annual written reports to parents are detailed and informative and provide appropriate guidance as to how pupils can improve.

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Grade:

5 of 7 Inspection Report: Village Infants' School, 19 °20 June 2006 .

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Grade:

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 of 7 Inspection Report: Village Infants' School, 19 °20 June 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Pupils Thank you for helping us when we visited your school recently. We enjoyed our time with you, and we promised to let you know what we decided after our visit. Yours is a satisfactory school with some real strengths. These are some of the best things about it:* The school looks after you well. Teachers keep a good check on how well you are learning and ensure you get extra help if you need it.* You make good progress in mathematics * You enjoy school and behave well. * Your teaching assistants give you lots of help, especially those of you who find learning hard or who do not speak English at home.* Mrs Layton and the other staff work hard together to make the school even better. The governors are good: they know exactly what goes on in school and work hard to make sure everyone does their best. There are some things that could be better, though:* Teachers plan their lessons carefully, but they need to make sure everyone, including the most able, have challenging things to do.* You

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

have just got some lovely new computers, but now teachers need to make sure you use them to help your learning in all subjects.Village Infants' School is a satisfactory school. If you and your teachers continue to work really hard, it could become even better. Good wishes for the future, Andrew Howe Lead Inspector 7 of 7 Inspection Report: Village Infants' School, 19 °20 June 2006

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