Queenswell Infant & Nursery School

Queenswell Infant School Inspection report

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101312 Unique Reference Number Barnet Local Authority 276496 Inspection number 29 °30 November 2005 Inspection dates Graham Lee 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 Ms Lyn Maycroft Chair Ms Christine Rayner Not previously inspected Date of previous school inspection Sweets Way School address Whetstone London N20 0NQ

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02084450524 Telephone number 02084460979 Fax number

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3 °7 Age group 29 °30 November 2005 Inspection dates 276496 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

Queenswell is a large infant school serving a mixed area in Whetstone. A large minority of pupils are of white, British heritage with a number from other white backgrounds. A significant minority are of a variety of Black and Asian origin. About a third of pupils speak English as an additional language and increasing numbers of these are at the early stages of learning English. A higher than average number has learning and emotional difficulties.

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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: Queenswell Infant School, 29 °30 November 2005

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What the school should do to improve further

* Raise pupils' achievement still further by ensuring that all teaching is of high quality throughout the school.* Ensure that all parents understand their responsibility in making sure that their children attend school regularly.* Develop the role of curriculum co-ordinators in raising standards.

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Grade:

The quality of teaching and learning is good overall and in the nursery it is of high quality. Nursery staff give children a wide variety of stimulating experiences which develop their confidence and communication skills. Throughout the school, teachers quickly provide support for pupils who are at the early stages of learning English. This helps them settle quickly into school routines.Teachers generally use assessment well to plan interesting activities which extend the learning of all pupils. They also make good links with other subjects, which help pupils to understand the relevance of what they are doing. For example, in a Year 2 literacy lesson on instructions the work linked closely to the making of finger puppets in design and technology. In a few lessons, however, activities are not sufficiently varied and teachers do not challenge more able pupils, in particular, to achieve more.Teachers ensure that pupils understand

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Grade:

what they are expected to do and consequently they make good progress. High quality teaching assistants make a significant contribution to the achievement of pupils. In particular, the support for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is very good, enabling them to make good progress.

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Grade:

The good curriculum enables pupils to take part in a wide range of stimulating activities both within and beyond the school day. One pupil said that 'I enjoy school because of the new and exciting things I learn.'An effective emphasis on basic literacy and numeracy skills as well as personal, social and health education enable pupils to make a successful transition to junior school. The school provides very good opportunities for pupils speaking English as an additional language. Under-achieving pupils or those with learning difficulties progress well because of the very good support systems.The curriculum is enriched in a variety of ways through a wide range of clubs, visits and visitors. For example, pupils worked with a 'chain saw artist' to turn a ruined tree stump into a stunning sculpture. 4 of 7 Inspection Report: Queenswell Infant School, 29 °30 November 2005

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Grade:

The care and guidance of pupils is outstanding. They can be confident that they are known as individuals and that their welfare is important to all adults. Arrangements for induction to the nursery ensure that links with parents are strong. Children feel safe and confident from the start. Safety procedures are robust, and risk assessments are made of all relevant activities. Systems for child protection are good and are understood by all staff and volunteers. Pupils say 'We've got a very good headteacher - she takes care of us.'Support for families in the school is excellent. Activities such as the 'Family Learning Programme', the monthly parents support group and curriculum workshops give parents confidence and help them to support their child's learning. Parents whose children have learning difficulties praise the quality of the support. One parent commented that 'Queenswell has a very happy and caring atmosphere.' The school

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Grade:

also provides after school care at the beginning and end of the day. There are good links with outside agencies and pupils who are vulnerable are identified at an early stage. The school provides an impressive range of different activities to support vulnerable pupils, such as 'Huff and Puff' club which helps those with low self-esteem.

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Grade:

5 of 7 Inspection Report: Queenswell Infant School, 29 °30 November 2005 .

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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: Queenswell Infant School, 29 °30 November 2005

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

I am writing to say thank you to all of you for being so friendly when my team and I came to the school. We really enjoyed our time at Queenswell and you all helped by talking to us about your school. I thought you would like to know what we found out. You enjoy lessons and work hard most of the time. Most of you behave very well although a few of you older boys need to concentrate and try a bit harder. Most of you enjoy school very much but a few of you do not come as often as should. To make sure that you do as well as you can you need to make sure that you come to school every day.Your teachers and all the other staff work very hard to make most lessons fun and interesting. We have asked them to try and make all of them as good to help you to do as well as you can. You are very lucky to have so many extra things to do in the school day and in the many clubs and visits that you have. The school is doing well because it has been very well led by Ms Rayner over lots of years. She

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

and all the adults in the school work very hard to make the school such a good place to be. They will continue to make sure that it gets even better in the future. 7 of 7 Inspection Report: Queenswell Infant School, 29 °30 November 2005

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