Churchfields Primary SchoolOfsted inspection, 29 Sept 2005

Inspection Report Churchfields Primary School

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101589 Unique Reference Number Bromley LEA LEA 276544 Inspection number 28 September 2005 to 29 September 2005 Inspection dates Andrew Marfleet AI Reporting inspector

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

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Churchfields Road School address Primary Type of school Beckenham Community School category Kent BR3 4QY 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 02086505247 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 02086633383 Fax number 301 Number on roll Mrs C L Parry Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr J M Mercer Headteacher 9 October 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 276544 28 September 2005 - 3 to 11 29 September 2005 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

Churchfields is a larger than average primary school in a heavily populated residential area on the borders of Beckenham and Penge. Children come from an increasingly wide area, although numbers have declined slightly because of a dip in birth rates and provision of a new school in the area. There is a wide range of ability on entry, reflecting their wide social background, with more pupils than would usually be expected receiving free school meals. A majority of pupils come through the attached nursery unit. There is also a Special Opportunity Unit for pupils with severe or moderate learning difficulties, and 32% of pupils in mainstream classes are on the special needs register. Most of the pupils are from a white British background; 13 receive extra support because English is not their first language.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Churchfields Primary School, 28 September 2005 to 29 September 2005

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Grade: 3

Churchfields Primary School is a satisfactory school that provides sound value for money. The school's own view that they are a good school is understandable: the care, guidance and support given to pupils are good, as is the personal development of pupils. But the standards achieved, from the Foundation stage until pupils leave at 11, are only average and progress is merely satisfactory, and the school recognise this. They are also right to assess the quality of teaching and learning as satisfactory. There is much good teaching, but the impact of teaching is blunted to some extent by the quality of the assessment that occurs. Teachers do not have sufficient data on pupils' progress to adjust their teaching to all the pupils' needs. Some aspects of the organisation of the curriculum have also affected achievement. The inspectors agree, however, with the school's judgement that there is good capacity to improve. Issues

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Grade: 3

raised in the report on the previous inspection have been addressed and the school has staff in key positions now who are capable of making a difference.

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What the school should do to improve further

* Monitoring more thoroughly the quality of teaching and its impact on pupils' progress.* Using assessment and target setting more consistently and rigorously.* Ensuring that the curriculum is organised in a way that enhances progress.

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Grade: 3

The inspection team agrees with the school that achievement is satisfactory overall. Standards are close to the average at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. However, this masks a range of achievement that varies from year to year. Standards of attainment on entry to the nursery are average overall but a significant minority of pupils have speech and language difficulties or are learning English as an additional language. Indications are that pupils achieve well in the Foundation Stage but there is insufficient school data to back up this judgement. The school is actively working with the local Learning Network in order to ensure better transition from the Year R to Year 1 and better achievement by the end of Year 2. Achievement by the end of Year 2 is satisfactory but there is a weakness in writing, where thirty per cent of pupils did not reach the expected level 2 - although this was an improvement on the previous

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Grade: 3

year.Pupils make more progress in Years 3 to 6. In 2004, when scores for pupils with special educational needs are excluded, results for English and Science were above average when compared with similar schools. In 2005, the provisional results indicate a dip in standards, though with a much higher proportion of pupils with special educational needs than usual. The high mobility of pupils is also a key factor influencing achievement, because a significant proportion of pupils joining the school after Year 2 have special education needs. When judging the achievement of pupils who do not have special educational needs and who have been in the school since Year 2, almost all made at least the expected or better progress. The achievement of higher attainers 2 Inspection Report: Churchfields Primary School, 28 September 2005 to 29 September 2005 in English and mathematics was not as good as in science and the school recognises

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Grade: 3

this as an area for development.Pupils with special educational needs and disabilities achieve as well as other pupils. The very small numbers of pupils who are from ethnic minorities or who are learning English as an additional language make at least satisfactory progress. At present the progress of different groups of pupil is not tracked well enough.

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Grade: 2

Moral and social development in this school are very good. Spiritual development is enhanced by the role of the parish priest, a governor, who is active in the life of the school. He led a simple but effective Harvest Festival service on the theme of 'Giving thanks, giving away' for all the pupils, who had donated items to be shared with needy people in the community. Cultural development is strong, and now includes much more on non-western cultures: displays focus on life in India and art from around the world. Black history and African drumming are also part of the programme. The attitudes and behaviour of pupils are good. Attendance levels have also improved, an indication that more pupils enjoy being here. Pupils are encouraged to adopt safe practices, such as washing their hands, and healthy eating is promoted from the nursery onwards. Pupils, including those with special needs, are equipped with a range of skills

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Grade: 2

they will need after leaving this school, including ICT.

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Grade: 3

The inspection team agree with the school that the quality of teaching is satisfactory, although there is some good and even outstanding teaching. The inconsistency in the quality of teaching has a detrimental effect on pupils' achievement overall. In the good lessons, work is well planned to challenge all pupils, who are keen to learn and enjoy the tasks set. Although there are systems in place, the use of assessment is not embedded enough in practice to ensure that all pupils are sufficiently challenged in order to make good progress overall. Although pupils have targets, for example in their work in English, the school recognises that the system needs to be reviewed so that it becomes more effective in raising standards. They recognise the need for pupils to have targets for improvement in other subjects. Where pupils have special educational needs, the school identifies their needs well and provides good quality

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Grade: 3

support. Pupils in the Special Opportunities Unit are taught well and good teamwork by adults enables pupils to achieve at least satisfactorily in their work. This support helps them achieve well in their social development. Work is also usually well planned to meet the needs of these pupils in class. The school has identified pupils who are gifted and talented, recognised a need for development in this area, and has begun to provide appropriately for them. The well-trained support staff play an important role in supporting learning in lessons. 3 Inspection Report: Churchfields Primary School, 28 September 2005 to 29 September 2005

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Grade: 3

All aspects of the national curriculum and religious education are well covered, with teachers drawing on national guidance in their planning. They seek to tailor activities to the needs of individuals, and use an extensive range of visits and visitors to the school to make the curriculum 'come alive' for the pupils. 'Focus weeks' have proved particularly effective. A few classes in the school cover more than one year group, and this has created difficulties where teachers have not liaised sufficiently over what should be taught when. There has been some unnecessary repetition, hampering progress, but better progression should flow following a recent review of the curriculum. The same applies to the provision in the special unit. However, the school offers pupils a good variety of enrichment activities that add to their learning - in clubs after school and at lunchtime.

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Grade: 2

The school offers good care, guidance and support to its pupils, and this is appreciated by parents. There is a welcoming ethos and staff work hard to ensure that all possible risks to health and safety are assessed, so that action can be taken if needed. Pupils are happy at school and enjoy their learning. Their needs are identified and extra support, such as the 'Funky Fingers Club' and the lunchtime nurture groups, ensure that appropriate activities are provided in a safe and caring environment. Pupils are well supported in classes by a large team of teaching assistants and supervision at lunchtime is good. Pupils with special educational needs receive good support in a range of ways. There is still some inconsistency in academic guidance, however. Not every pupil is set clear targets in every subject, which can inhibit progress in some of their written work.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory. The school is led by an experienced headteacher who now has a strong team of senior staff, including a recently appointed deputy. They are well supported by a very committed governing body who discharge their responsibilities very well. It is only very recently, however, that the senior leadership have been able to address some of the key issues in the school. Monitoring and evaluation of teaching were less thorough for much of last year because of the lack of a deputy headteacher, and assessment procedures are not yet as rigorous as they might be. The organisation of the curriculum has not enhanced pupils' progress as much as it might have done. However, provision for the personal development and well-being of pupils is a strength of the school.The school leadership is accurate in its evaluation of the quality of teaching and of what pupils achieve, and view recent

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Grade: 3

changes to the senior leadership team as a good basis for improvement in these areas. Discussions with some of these senior staff confirm this view. The capacity to improve 4 Inspection Report: Churchfields Primary School, 28 September 2005 to 29 September 2005 has been enhanced. It was already credible in that three of the four areas for improvement mentioned in the previous inspection report have been clearly met. Assessment procedures remain as an area to develop further. 5 Inspection Report: Churchfields Primary School, 28 September 2005 to 29 September 2005 .

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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: Churchfields Primary School, 28 September 2005 to 29 September 2005

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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 3 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 2 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 3 How well do learners achieve? NA 3 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 3 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 3 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 3 The attendance of learners NA 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 2 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 3 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

I want to thank you for the friendly welcome you gave us when we visited your school. We enjoyed talking to you and seeing your work. We also enjoyed talking to your teachers and watching your assemblies - the singing was excellent! What we liked most about your school* You behave well and enjoy coming to school.* Most of you are learning as much as you should, including pupils in the Special Opportunities Unit.* You are also learning to stay safe and healthy, and to eat sensibly.* You have lots of interesting things to do outside normal lessons.* You show care for other people. The food you brought to school for the Harvest Festival is going to be very welcome to lots of older people.* Your teachers, and those helping them, work very hard.* Your headteacher understands what goes on in the school very well, and the teachers in charge of things now will help the school to get even better.* Your parents are very happy with the school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

What we have asked your school to do now* Help all the teachers to show you how to learn even more than you do now.* Give you a better idea of what you can do to improve, by telling you how you are doing and what you need to do next.* Plan the lessons so that you learn all the right things without repeating anything too often.We hope that you will continue to do your best and wish you every success in the future.

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