Elsley Primary School

101519 Unique Reference Number Brent LEA LEA 276529 Inspection number 26 April 2006 to 27 April 2006 Inspection dates Linda McGill Reporting inspector

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

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Tokyngton Avenue School address Primary Type of school Wembley Community School category HA9 6HT 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 02089028003 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 02089024078 Fax number 476 Number on roll Mrs Rakshita Parmar Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Ms Nicola Arundell Headteacher 20 March 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 276529 26 April 2006 - 3 to 11 27 April 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 one of Her Majesty's Inspectors and two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Elsley is a large primary school serving an ethnically diverse area in Wembley. Three quarters of the pupils are learning English as an additional language, and many are in the early stages. The school's population is changing and the number of pupils from refugee or asylum-seeking families is increasing. Mobility is higher than average. A quarter of the pupils are eligible for free school meals, and some families live in temporary or overcrowded accommodation. One in ten pupils has an identified learning difficulty or disability; this is below average. When they start school, the pupils' attainment is generally below that expected of three-year-olds. At the time of this inspection, the headteacher had been in post for two days.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Elsley Primary School, 26 April 2006 to 27 April 2006

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Grade: 2

Elsley is a good school which prepares its pupils very well for the next stage in their education. It has the overwhelming support of parents, and the pupils thoroughly enjoy their time there. The inspection team agrees with the school's view that its overall effectiveness is good and finds that there are also outstanding features to its work. Elsley's positive and welcoming ethos helps the youngest pupils settle quickly and develop their social skills. The quality of provision and standards in the Foundation Stage are satisfactory and the pupils make steady progress. This is maintained in the infant classes but standards remain below average at the age of seven. In contrast, the progress made by pupils in the junior classes is exceptional and by the age of eleven most have reached or exceeded the expected standards for their age. One of the reasons that progress is not so swift in the infant classes is that

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Grade: 2

comprehensive assessments of what the pupils can do are not used routinely to plan the next steps for their learning. Another is that the quality of teaching is not as consistently good or outstanding as it is in the junior classes. The pupils' personal development is good. Behaviour and attendance are good. The pupils' commitment to healthy lifestyles, the contribution they make to the school and the wider community and way they are prepared to take their place in society are outstanding. Over the past eighteen months the school was led by the deputy headteacher supported by an acting deputy headteacher. They have done a good job in maintaining the strong features of the school's work and have a secure grasp of the strengths and weaknesses in teaching and learning. Governance is good. The school's capacity to improve further is good. The school gives good value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

andmiddot; Improve how assessments are used to plan the next steps for pupils' learning in the infant classesandmiddot; Improve all teaching to the level of the best

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Grade: 2

Overall, the pupils' achievement is good because by the age of eleven most reach standards that are in line with or above what is expected for their age, despite their below average attainment on entry. In the Foundation Stage, the pupils make good progress in developing their social skills and dispositions to learning, and satisfactory progress in other areas of learning, but by the end of the reception year many do not reach the expected goals in communication, language and literacy and mathematics. Steady progress continues in the infant classes but by the age of seven standards remain below average. 2 Inspection Report: Elsley Primary School, 26 April 2006 to 27 April 2006 In contrast, in the junior years the pupils make rapid and outstanding progress. About a third attain standards that are higher than expected for their age. This is in part due to their growing fluency and confidence in English, but also to the richness of the

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Grade: 2

curriculum and the good and outstanding teaching that they receive. The pupils make exceptional progress in reading, writing and speaking English, and the value that Elsley adds to the pupils' attainment shows that it is one of the best performing schools in the country. Progress in science and mathematics also puts Elsley among the top 5% of schools nationally. All pupils reach or exceed the challenging targets that are set for them by the end of Year 6. Pupils who speak English as an additional language and those who have learning difficulties make good progress overall, in line with their classmates, and there is no evidence of underachievement.

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Grade: 2

The pupils' personal development is good and aspects are outstanding, which has a positive effect on their learning. The school's supportive ethos helps the pupils grow in confidence and by the age of eleven they are mature, sensible and responsible individuals. The pupils thoroughly enjoy school and their good attendance is testament to this. They behave well in lessons and at break and lunch times. They say that there is no bullying and feel safe at school, trusting the adults and their friends to look after them. The pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. There is an outstanding commitment to healthy lifestyles; the pupils' participate with enthusiasm in the many clubs and sporting activities, take part in the weekly 'walking bus' and understand and act upon the importance of healthy eating -popular items at lunch are salads and vegetables. Their contribution to the school community and in the wider

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Grade: 2

world is also outstanding. They take their responsibilities seriously, raising substantial funds for those less fortunate than themselves and taking care of their environment by recycling, for example. The members of the school council are excellent ambassadors and proud to represent their year groups. The pupils' good grasp of basic skills and the many ways in which they learn to co-operate and work in teams augur well for their future economic well being.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good overall. Teaching in the nursery and infant classes is satisfactory with some good elements, but in the junior classes it is good and sometimes outstanding and is a strong contributor to the high achievement at the end of Year 6. In the best lessons, the teachers know exactly what they want the pupils to learn and make sure that the pupils know what they need to do to be successful. The teachers have high expectations and secure subject knowledge. Lessons 3 Inspection Report: Elsley Primary School, 26 April 2006 to 27 April 2006 are well paced and little time is wasted. Satisfactory lessons lack that pace and accuracy, which means that progress in learning is only satisfactory. Throughout the school, teachers manage pupils well and relationships are good. Pupils are keen to learn, persevere with their work and complete a good deal in lessons. The teaching assistants

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Grade: 2

work well with groups of pupils who are learning English or who have learning difficulties, but in whole-class sessions their skills are sometimes under-used. Procedures for assessing and tracking the pupils' progress are comprehensive and thorough, but the use of the information to set targets and guide teaching and the next steps in pupils' learning is inconsistent in the infant classes.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. It is balanced and makes sure the pupils build on their learning as they move through the school. A particularly strong feature is the use the school makes of visits and visitors to enhance the pupils' experiences and enrich their learning, for example by working with members of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra or staying on a working farm in Devon. During this inspection, pupils worked enthusiastically with an illustrator and a specialist music teacher. These activities helped them develop their creative skills, reach high standards in singing and made a strong contribution to enriching their language skills. The school offers a wide range of clubs and activities with a high emphasis on health and fitness in keeping with the Healthy Schools initiative. They are popular and well attended. Good use is made of computers to enhance learning. Vibrant displays around the school reflect the wide range of the

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Grade: 2

school's activities and its diverse community.

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Grade: 2

Overall, the school provides pupils with good care, support and guidance. Personal support for pupils is particularly good and is much appreciated by parents and carers. There is a strong commitment to helping all pupils, including those who have recently joined the school and those at an early stage of learning English. Child protection procedures are secure and staff have received appropriate training. Health and safety procedures are good and regular checks help to ensure pupils are safe and secure. Academic support and guidance are satisfactory. In classes where this is good, pupils are set challenging targets to aim for, and marking provides clear guidance on how to improve. However, this good practice is not well established in the infant classes.

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Grade: 2

Good leadership and management have contributed to pupils' good personal development and the good progress they make over time. The school has a positive ethos where pupils are well cared for and are provided with a good curriculum. The day-to-day running of the school is good. An acting headteacher and acting deputy 4 Inspection Report: Elsley Primary School, 26 April 2006 to 27 April 2006 have effectively seen the school through a period of transition. The very new headteacher is keen to maintain the school's many strengths and has a clear vision for improving the consistency of teaching and assessment. The partnership with parents is strong; the school regularly seeks their views and clearly has their confidence. The monitoring and evaluation of the school's work is thorough and detailed, but the findings tend to be descriptive rather than evaluative. Nevertheless, the school's improvement plan includes appropriate priorities and steps taken have led to clear

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Grade: 2

improvement, for example, in the younger pupils' knowledge of phonics. In places it lacks clear, quantifiable success criteria to measure progress. The quality of teaching is monitored and strengths and weaknesses have been accurately identified. Steps are already being taken to support and develop practice. This has led to the maintenance of high quality teaching in the junior years and signs of improvement in the infants. The school tracks the pupils' progress regularly and in some detail but the use of the information is not yet consistent. Most of the governors are supportive and committed to further improvement. They have a secure understanding of the school's performance and ensure that statutory duties are fulfilled. The school has made satisfactory progress since the last inspection and there is good capacity for further improvement. 5 Inspection Report: Elsley Primary School, 26 April 2006 to 27 April 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: Elsley Primary School, 26 April 2006 to 27 April 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 2 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 3 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 3 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 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 3 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 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 2 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 2 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 3 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 2 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 2 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 very much for making me and my colleagues so welcome in your school when we inspected it recently. We really enjoyed meeting you and your teachers, talking with you and watching you at work in the classroom. The members of the school council told us how happy and proud they are to come to Elsley and that they think it is a good school. We agree with them because we found many good things, for example: ‡ you make excellent progress in the juniors ‡ you behave well and you come to school as often as you can‡ you enjoy lots of clubs, activities and outings that make learning more interesting‡ you raise lots of money for people in need and take good care of your environment ‡ your good skills in mathematics, English and using computers prepare you very well for secondary school We have asked your teachers to make some things even better, so that everyone makes really good progress. They will do this by using the many things they know about what you have

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

already learnt to plan what you will do next. They will also work to make sure that all teachers teach as well as the very best. Wishing you continuing success in the future, Linda McGill Her Majesty's Inspector

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