Gresham Primary School

Inspection Report Gresham Primary School

p.1

101758 Unique Reference Number Croydon LEA LEA 276585 Inspection number 19 October 2005 to 20 October 2005 Inspection dates Linda McGill HMI Reporting inspector

p.1

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

p.1

Limpsfield Road School address Primary Type of school Sanderstead Community School category South Croydon, Surrey CR2 9EA 4 to 11 Age range of pupils

p.1

02086571807 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 02086571686 Fax number 209 Number on roll Mr C Locke Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs L Benton Headteacher 29 November 1999 Date of previous inspection

p.1

Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 276585 19 October 2005 - 4 to 11 20 October 2005 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.1

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one of Her Majesty's Inspectors and an additional inspector.

p.3

Description of the school

Gresham is an average-sized primary school in Sanderstead, an advantaged area to the south of Croydon. About three quarters of its pupils are of white, British heritage and the remainder are from a wide range of ethnic and linguistic backgrounds. The number of pupils eligible for free school meals is lower than the national average, as is the number who have identified special educational needs. However, the proportion of pupils who have a statement of special educational need is greater than that found nationally. When the pupils start in the reception class most have skills and knowledge which are typical of four-year-olds.

p.3

Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Gresham Primary School, 19 October 2005 to 20 October 2005

p.3

Grade: 2

Gresham is a popular school which is held in high regard by its pupils and their parents. The school judges that its effectiveness is good and inspectors agree. The school has a warm and welcoming atmosphere and a key priority for the staff is to make sure the pupils enjoy coming to school, they feel safe and secure and are helped to achieve their best. The pupils are given a first-rate start in the reception class and make good progress overall in the infants and juniors so that when they leave, they have achieved high standards. Two of the school's great strengths are the wide range of purposeful activities which the pupils can take part in at the end of the day and the innovative way subjects are linked which make lessons relevant and enjoyable. There have been several changes to the teaching staff and teaching is satisfactory overall with many strong features, but there is too much variation between classes. The school is striving

p.4

Grade: 2

to address this, for example by supporting individual teachers and improving the way it uses information from assessments to make sure that work is challenging enough. The headteacher provides strong leadership and clear direction for the school's work. The leadership and management roles of other senior staff and middle managers are developing well. The school has made good progress in tackling the issues from its previous inspection. It is very well placed to continue to build on its successes and provides good value for money.

p.4

What the school should do to improve further

* continue to improve the quality of teaching by developing the use of assessment information and making sure that work is always challenging enough

p.4

Grade: 2

Inspectors agree with the school's judgement that the pupils attain high standards and their achievement is good. When the pupils start school, their skills and knowledge are broadly average, and some speak with confidence and have a good vocabulary. They make good progress in the Foundation Stage so that by the end of the reception year most have reached or exceeded the goals expected for their learning. The pupils continue to make good progress in the infant classes. By the end of Year 2, standards in reading, mathematics and science are high and in writing, standards match what is expected for their age.Test results at the end of Year 6 have been consistently above the national figures and in 2005 half of the pupils attained a higher level in mathematics and science. All groups of pupils achieve what they should, but in contrast to the national picture, boys get better results than girls. The school is seeking to find the

p.4

Grade: 2

reasons for this and keeps a close eye on the progress made by the girls.The school tracks each pupil's progress from year to year and the information shows that the rate of progress for individuals varies from satisfactory to good across the junior classes. To make sure that progress is more consistently good, systems are being developed to help the teachers to identify more quickly those pupils who need extra support to 2 Inspection Report: Gresham Primary School, 19 October 2005 to 20 October 2005 move them on. This will also help them make sure that the work is always suitably challenging.

p.4

Grade: 2

The school rightly judges that it makes good provision for fostering the pupils' personal development and well-being. By Year 6, the pupils have grown into confident, assured individuals who are proud of their school and who take good account of the needs of others. The pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well. The wide variety of clubs and activities helps those of different ages to get on with one another, and the topics the pupils study take good account of the rich variety of backgrounds represented in the school. The pupils behave well in lessons, and at break time they play energetically but safely. 'Play buddies' make sure that there is always someone and something to play with. When they are enthused by learning, the pupils listen attentively and are keen to participate. They enjoy their lessons and attendance is good. Lessons in science and physical education emphasise the need for exercise

p.5

Grade: 2

and good nutrition and the pupils put this into practice by taking part in regular, vigorous physical activity and by choosing to eat healthily at lunchtimes. The pupils are given many chances to take responsibility in school and to play a part in the wider world, for example, by raising funds for charities and joining the environment club. The school gives the pupils a good grounding in the basic skills and develops their confidence, assurance and independence; qualities that will serve them well in the next stage of education.

p.5

Grade: 3

In the past, the quality of teaching at Gresham has been predominately good overall, which has led to the pupils achieving well and reaching good standards in their work. There have been several changes in staffing and recent evaluations of teaching have led the school to judge that teaching is satisfactory, and inspectors agree. Observations carried out by the headteacher and the school's attached inspector confirm that there are significant strengths in the teaching and little that is inadequate, but that the proportion of good teaching is currently smaller than it should be. Suitable steps are being taken to bring about improvements and to make sure that the pupils continue to make good progress.The most effective teaching was lively and confident. The teachers' knowledge of the subject was secure and clear explanations and good demonstrations helped the pupils learn what was intended. The teachers' questions

p.5

Grade: 3

made the pupils think, as well as checking that they had understood. In a science lesson in Year 6, the teacher rounded off the lesson exceptionally well as he led a productive discussion which helped the pupils deepen their understanding of forces at a sophisticated level. Good teaching and the pupils' positive attitudes led to good progress. The pupils, including those who have special educational needs, made good 3 Inspection Report: Gresham Primary School, 19 October 2005 to 20 October 2005 progress in most of the lessons. However, the current use of assessment information is not sharp enough to make sure that future work is sufficiently challenging to enable the pupils make the consistently good progress they have in the past. As a result, in a few lessons where teaching was satisfactory there was scope to increase the degree of challenge and make the pace of learning more brisk.

p.5

Grade: 2

The school's curriculum is imaginative and stimulating, and the pupils enjoy their studies. Good emphasis is given to teaching basic skills in English, mathematics and information and communication technology. These subjects and others are linked in imaginative ways wherever possible, so that topics capture the pupils' imagination and can be taught in depth. Visits to places of interest are routinely included. One parent wrote that his daughter was so enthralled with the topic 'Land of the living and the dead', about ancient and modern Egypt, that he took her there on holiday. The pupils spoke enthusiastically about the extensive range of sporting and other activities they can take part in after school. These activities enrich the curriculum and promote the pupils' social, physical and academic development well.

p.6

Grade: 2

The staff know the pupils well. They offer a good level of care and guide and support them effectively, backed up by clear policies and procedures, for example, for health and safety and the protection of children. The pupils say that they feel safe at school and can rely on the adults look after them. The welcoming and friendly atmosphere helps the youngest pupils to settle in quickly, and the oldest ones are given good guidance to help them manage the move to secondary school. The pupils are helped to work towards their targets and respond with pleasure to the rewards and praise they are given when they do well. Grade: 2

p.6

Grade: 2

Inspectors agree with the school's judgement that its leadership and management are good. Arrangements for evaluating the school's effectiveness have improved a good deal since the last inspection and the staff all recognise the need continually to strive for improvement. The school knows its strengths and weaknesses well and where areas for improvement have been found, they are being tackled systematically. The headteacher provides strong leadership and has set a clear direction for the school that is understood fully by staff and governors.Over the past year, senior and middle managers have worked on developing their leadership skills as well as their management responsibilities. Their contribution to the school's leadership has improved as has the already good capacity for improvement. The governing body supports the school well and has worked assiduously to help bring about improvements in the accessibility of

p.6

Grade: 2

4 Inspection Report: Gresham Primary School, 19 October 2005 to 20 October 2005 the building. The governors are also improving the part they play in challenging the school and holding it to account for its performance. The school regularly consults parents through personal contact and questionnaires and the views of pupils are sought through the school council. Improvements to the playground are being made following pupils' comments. Parents support the school well and value the approachability of the headteacher and deputy headteacher. Grade: 2 5 Inspection Report: Gresham Primary School, 19 October 2005 to 20 October 2005 .

p.6

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Gresham Primary School, 19 October 2005 to 20 October 2005

p.8

Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

p.9

learners?

NA 2 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 2 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

p.9

Achievement and standards

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

p.9

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

p.9

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 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

p.9

needs and interests of learners?

NA 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

p.9

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.

p.9

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

p.10

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

p.10

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

p.10

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

p.10

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

p.10

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you very much for welcoming us to your school on 19 and 20 October. We were very pleased to be able to spend time with you and your teachers and to learn about the work you do at Gresham Primary School. Your school is a happy, welcoming place. It was clear to us that you enjoy coming to school and are proud of the good work that you do. We were impressed by the way you look after the younger ones, and the way you grow in confidence and independence as you get older. Two other things that help to make your school special are the wide range of clubs and activities you can take part in, and the way topic work helps you to become really enthusiastic about what you are studying. Some of you told us that you like work that makes you think and we have asked your teachers to make sure that activities are always challenging enough for you. We have also asked them to carry on with improving the ways they measure the progress that you are making. You can

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

help by continuing to try your best. Yours sincerely Linda McGill, Her Majesty's Inspector

p.11