Whitehorse Manor Junior School

Inspection Report Whitehorse Manor Junior School

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101742 Unique Reference Number Croydon LEA LEA 276579 Inspection number 7 June 2006 to 8 June 2006 Inspection dates Jane Chesterfield AI Reporting inspector

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

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Whitehorse Road School address Junior Type of school Thornton Heath Community School category CR7 8SB 7 to 11 Age range of pupils 020 8684 3929 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 020 8239 0037 Fax number 236 Number on roll Mr Richard Hill Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Jolyon Roberts Headteacher 27 September 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 276579 7 June 2006 - 7 to 11 8 June 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

The school serves a diverse community in South London and takes all of its pupils from the infant school on the same site. About a third of the pupils are eligible for free school meals. Around 75% of pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds and around 30% have English as an additional language (EAL). The main groups represented in the school are White British, Black Caribbean and Black African. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities (LDD) is just above the national average. The school has achieved the Basic Skills agency quality mark, the Sports Council's Activemark Gold and the Healthy Schools award.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Whitehorse Manor Junior School, 7 June 2006 to 8 June 2006

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Grade: 2

Whitehorse Manor Juniors is a good school which provides good value for money. This matches the school's own evaluation of its effectiveness. Good teaching and learning mean that pupils make good progress throughout the school and attain standards which are above the national average in English and in line with it in mathematics and science. Given the pupils' starting points, this represents good achievement. The school has rightly identified the need to increase the proportion of pupils achieving the higher levels in mathematics and science by improving their problem solving and investigational skills. Pupils enjoy a well organised curriculum with an outstanding range of exciting extra-curricular and enrichment activities. Support and guidance for pupils, particularly pastoral care, are good. Because of this good provision, pupils grow in confidence and self-esteem. Their personal development is good overall and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural

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Grade: 2

development, in particular, is excellent. Their enjoyment of, and enthusiasm for, learning are outstanding. Leadership and management are good. The senior staff form a strong team and are well supported by governors. They promote an inclusive and purposeful ethos, which is valued by pupils and parents alike. One parent commented: 'They really are doing wonderful work, God bless them.' Good systems for monitoring and tracking performance mean that the senior staff are well aware of the school's strengths and weaknesses. All the issues highlighted in the last inspection report have been dealt with well, and improvement has been good. The school has good capacity for future improvement.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve provision for the higher attaining pupils to give them more opportunities to reach the higher levels in mathematics and science.

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Grade: 2

Pupils, including those with LDD and EAL, achieve well throughout the school. There is a steadily improving picture of attainment on entry to the school, but the current Year 6 pupils were below average when they arrived. They are now attaining levels that are above average in English and in line in mathematics and science, which means that they have made good progress during their time at the school. In English, the school has succeeded in enabling higher attaining pupils to reach Level 5, but this has not been the case in mathematics and science, where the proportion reaching Level 5 is below average. The school is on course to meet or exceed its targets this year, except for Level 5s in mathematics. Senior staff have correctly identified the need to focus on improving skills which will enable pupils to reach the higher levels, such as problem solving in mathematics and experimentation in science. These have

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Grade: 2

been highlighted as priorities for the new school improvement plan. 2 Inspection Report: Whitehorse Manor Junior School, 7 June 2006 to 8 June 2006

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Grade: 2

Personal development and well-being are good with some outstanding features. Attendance has improved and is now above average. Pupils enjoy coming to school and display excellent attitudes to learning. Behaviour is consistently good and there have been no exclusions. Pupils are polite and friendly towards one another and visitors. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. They learn to respect their own unique qualities and show mature and thoughtful understanding of, and consideration for, other people from all backgrounds. This makes the school a very harmonious and unified community. Pupils take part enthusiastically in the school's extra-curricular clubs, enrichment afternoon and opportunities for physical education. The school council takes its responsibilities seriously, one member saying, 'it's good for the school to hear the children's point of view'. They feel they are making a useful

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Grade: 2

contribution to the life of the school. Pupils have a good awareness of healthy choices in their eating, as one group demonstrated after a visit to a local supermarket. They are active in raising money for charities. Pupils acquire good levels of basic skills in literacy, mathematics and information technology that prepare them well for their future economic well-being.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good throughout the school, and this means that pupils make good progress and really enjoy their learning. In class, teachers are lively and enthusiastic. They make good use of resources, particularly technology such as the interactive white boards, to enliven lessons and present information and ideas clearly. In this way they inspire pupils to want to learn. In one lesson observed, the sound of the bell for the end of the day was met with groans of disappointment from the class. Good procedures for assessing and tracking pupils mean that teachers are very familiar with the progress their pupils are making and can make sure that support for those with LDD or EAL can be accurately targeted. Day to day marking is not always consistently focused in every class on helping pupils to make their work better, particularly for the higher attaining pupils. The school has introduced some imaginative

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Grade: 2

initiatives to challenge its gifted and talented pupils, but these have not yet had time to have an impact on its results at the higher levels.

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Grade: 2

Curriculum provision is good with some excellent features. It meets statutory requirements and the needs of pupils. The strong emphasis put on literacy and 3 Inspection Report: Whitehorse Manor Junior School, 7 June 2006 to 8 June 2006 numeracy is reflected in the pupils' good achievement. The school now plans to include more opportunities for investigative work in mathematics and science. The new computer suite is being used effectively to develop pupils' skills. Shortcomings identified in the last inspection report in the provision for religious education have been successfully addressed. Good provision is made for pupils with LDD so that they make good progress towards their own individual learning targets. The needs of pupils with EAL are also met well. The quality of the curriculum is enhanced by an outstanding choice of extra-curricular activities and interesting visits and visitors. Particularly good use is made of the time

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Grade: 2

given to teachers for planning by offering a series of wide-ranging enrichment activities that make an excellent contribution to pupil's personal development.

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Grade: 2

The school takes good care of its pupils. Health and safety issues from the last inspection report have been tackled effectively. Pupils feel that they are safe in school and that there is always someone they can go to if they have problems or are upset. Vulnerable children are particularly well supported through robust child protection and vetting procedures. Parents and pupils agree that bullying is rare. Good systems are in place to assess pupils' progress. Recently introduced targets for pupils are helping them to see how well they are doing and what they must do next in order to improve. Pupils with LDD and those with EAL receive good support. The school works very closely with the adjacent infant school and local secondary schools. Parents confirm that this is a caring school; as one parent wrote, 'sending my children to Whitehorse School was the best decision I ever made'.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The members of the new senior management team have clearly defined roles and responsibilities and a shared vision for the school. They have created a community where staff and pupils feel confident and valued and talk constantly about the 'Whitehorse way' of doing things. They have also established a forward-looking working environment where creativity and innovation can flourish. School self-evaluation is good. The senior management team makes good use of assessment, tracking and monitoring data to follow closely the performance of individual pupils and to evaluate accurately the performance of the school as a whole. Management and organisation of LDD and EAL provision are good. The senior management team has a good understanding of the school's strengths and weaknesses. This is shared by the governors, who support the school well. The school consults pupils and parents regularly and acts on their views, for example in trying to

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Grade: 2

have more healthy options on offer at lunchtime. 4 Inspection Report: Whitehorse Manor Junior School, 7 June 2006 to 8 June 2006 The senior management team has successfully achieved its objectives for development in the current school improvement plan, including securing improvement in English, and has correctly identified aspects of mathematics and science which will stretch more able pupils in particular as the next areas for attention. In light of this, and of the improvement since the last inspection, the school's capacity for future improvement is good. 5 Inspection Report: Whitehorse Manor Junior School, 7 June 2006 to 8 June 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: Whitehorse Manor Junior School, 7 June 2006 to 8 June 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 NA 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 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 1 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 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 2 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 2 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 for being so helpful and friendly when we visited your school. We really enjoyed meeting and talking to you. We agree with you that Whitehorse Manor Junior is a good school and we know that you enjoy going there very much. You are doing well in your work because your teachers know how to make their lessons lively and interesting. This means that you really enjoy your learning and want to be at school. You are very lucky to have such a wonderful range of clubs and activities available after school, at lunchtime and on enrichment afternoon. We were very impressed with your behaviour in class and around the school, and we thought that those of you who help others and the school, as monitors or house captains or as members of the school council, are doing a great job. The staff take good care of you all and those of you with particular needs are well supported. Mr Roberts and his colleagues run the school well and know how to make it even better in

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

future. We have agreed that the school should do its best to make sure that those of you who are capable of reaching the highest levels in maths and science have the chance to do so. This is likely to mean more problems to solve in maths and more experiments to carry out in science, which will be enjoyable for all of you. Well done to you all and best wishes for the future. Jane Chesterfield Lead Inspector

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