Crownfield Junior School

Inspection Report Crownfield Junior School

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102294 Unique Reference Number Havering LEA LEA 276689 Inspection number 10 July 2006 to 11 July 2006 Inspection dates Arnalena (Nina) Bee AI Reporting inspector

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

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White Hart Lane School address Junior Type of school Collier Row Community School category Romford RM7 8JB 7 to 11 Age range of pupils 01708 747070 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01708 737811 Fax number 308 Number on roll Mr A Sargeant Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr G P Nott Headteacher 3 July 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 276689 10 July 2006 - 7 to 11 11 July 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 three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Crownfields is an above average sized school. The pupils' attainment on entry is average. The proportion of pupils who have learning difficulties and disabilities is above average. Very few have English as an additional language. The majority of pupils are of White British origin although a number of other groups are represented. The number of pupils who have free school meals is above average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Crownfield Junior School, 10 July 2006 to 11 July 2006

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Grade: 2

The school judges its overall effectiveness as good and parents and inspectors agree. As one parent stated in the questionnaires, 'The children respect the teachers and particularly the headmaster, and the school is run extremely effectively'. The provision for pupils' personal development and their care is excellent. Pupils achieve well in mathematics, science and reading and reach good standards. Achievement in writing is good in Year 6 but it is only satisfactory in Years 3 - 5. There is scope for the school to help pupils to develop their skills in writing more effectively. This especially applies to the teaching of writing in Years 3 - 5. Overall, teaching is good, particularly in year 6. Specialist teaching in physical education (PE) and music enables pupils to achieve well in these subjects. The curriculum is good and is enriched by a wide range of well planned visits, including a visit to France for the older pupils. Leadership and

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Grade: 2

management are good. The school knows itself well and its self evaluation is mainly accurate. However, the monitoring of the teaching of writing is not rigorous enough. Governors have a clear understanding of how the school runs. The school gives good value for money and is well placed to move forward and build on its success. It has made good improvement since it was inspected last.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve the standards in writing, so that they are comparable with those in mathematics, science and reading. • Monitor the quality of the teaching of writing more rigorously to identify and address areas of weakness.

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Grade: 2

Standards are above average overall and these good standards have been maintained over the last few years. Pupils, including those with learning difficulties and disabilities and the few who speak English as an additional language, achieve well. The national test results have generally been good and in 2005, standards were above average in mathematics and science and average in English. There was a significant improvement in science. However, results fell significantly in English and were affected particularly because few pupils reached the higher levels in writing. Provisional results for 2006 show that at the end of Year 6, except in writing, standards are above average and most pupils have met the challenging targets set for them. The percentage of pupils who reached the higher levels in English, mathematics and science has improved. In relation to their prior attainment, on entry to the school, pupils in Year 6 make good

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Grade: 2

progress in mathematics, science and reading. The school acknowledges that although pupils have made good progress in writing during their time in Year 6, a minority of 2 Inspection Report: Crownfield Junior School, 10 July 2006 to 11 July 2006 pupils have not reached expected levels because of some weaknesses related to prior teaching.

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Grade: 1

Personal development and well-being and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. Pupils thoroughly enjoy their time in school, feel safe and demonstrate exemplary attitudes and behaviour. This is an improvement since the last inspection. Pupils now have an excellent idea of the need for positive personal values and the importance of respect for the beliefs and values of others. Attendance is good and much improved since the last inspection. Pupils have an outstanding understanding of the importance of developing a healthy life-style and have contributed well to the school achieving Healthy Schools Award status. Pupils take a pride in the important responsibilities they carry out to support the school community and feel valued through their involvement in school council business. They are laying the ground well for their future social and economic well-being through the acquisition of basic literacy and numeracy skills and financial awareness,

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Grade: 1

such as banking and school council involvement in budgeting. Pupils' achievements are valued and celebrated in the wonderful photographs displayed prominently throughout the school.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. All adults who work in the classrooms have good relationships with the pupils and have high expectations for their academic achievement and behaviour. As a result, classrooms are happy, relaxed and generally productive places to learn. Computer technology is used effectively to develop good learning. In Year 6, the teacher used the interactive whiteboard to illustrate how to write a perfect paragraph. Pupils were very enthusiastic and clear about what was expected of them. They could not wait to have a go. Day to day assessment is generally used well to provide challenging tasks and targets. Consequently, in most lessons, pupils learn well. Teaching assistants are deployed effectively and this is a big improvement since the previous inspection. They give good support both in classes and when they work with small groups of pupils to develop basic literacy and numeracy skills. The teaching of writing, whilst good in Year 6, is

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Grade: 2

satisfactory in other parts of the school and has been correctly identified as an area for development. Activities are not always interesting and teachers sometimes talk for too long, leaving insufficient time for pupils to engage in written activities. As a result, pupils' acquisition of writing skills is not as good as it should be. 3 Inspection Report: Crownfield Junior School, 10 July 2006 to 11 July 2006

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Grade: 2

The school provides a good curriculum, which is interesting and relevant and contributes well to pupils' good academic achievement and outstanding personal development. A high number of pupils participate in the good range of clubs and activities available. They develop literacy, numeracy and information, communication and technology (ICT) skills appropriately in other subjects although the school is aware of the need to provide even more opportunities for pupils to develop their writing skills. Visits, for example, to the Imperial War Museum and the residential trip to France, make learning fun and support pupils' excellent personal development. One pupil noted in her journal, 'I enjoyed every minute of my French trip and would give every day ten out of ten!' Provision for PE is very strong and contributes well to pupils' health and well-being. Specialist teaching in music enables pupils to reach high

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Grade: 2

standards. The school council and the prefect system provide excellent opportunities to help pupils develop their initiative and enterprise skills to stand them in good stead for the future. Talks from the Police, London Transport and a local bank help them become safe and responsible. The choir sings in local festivals and church services making a useful contribution to the community.

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Grade: 1

The quality of care, guidance and support for pupils is outstanding. The school is rigorous about safety with very effective procedures for site management, risk assessment in the curriculum and staff vetting. Child protection arrangements are good with regular training for all members of staff. Moral and social guidance is outstanding. The school is addressing the 'Every Child Matters' agenda very well and has achieved Healthy School Award status. There is also a wide range of responsibilities for pupils to develop ideas about support for their community. The school is particularly successful in linking the monitoring of pupils' academic progress with aspects of their personal development for example attendance at school and attitudes to learning. The outcomes of this monitoring are effectively used to provide very good support for individual pupils. This dimension of the school's monitoring of pupil's progress is

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Grade: 2

The school is well led and managed. It focuses very successfully on preparing pupils to become confident and responsible citizens. There is also a clear emphasis on achievement and this results in pupils reaching good standards, especially in mathematics, science and reading. The school building is bright, stimulating and sparklingly clean and consequently pupils arrive at school eager and willing to learn. 4 Inspection Report: Crownfield Junior School, 10 July 2006 to 11 July 2006 The headteacher and governors have a good understanding of the school's strengths and weaknesses. Performance management is well established and helps the head gain a clear view of teaching and pupils' achievement. This is further supported by a very useful annual review of performance. Subject leadership is generally effective and contributes well to the development of many subjects including the outstanding provision for PE. Subject leaders are well informed, very enthusiastic and committed

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Grade: 2

to further development. Their improvement plans identify the way forward although actions are not always linked carefully enough to improving pupils' achievement. The school rightly identifies weaknesses in achievement in writing but the monitoring of the teaching of writing is not currently rigorous enough to identify and tackle weaknesses. The school deserves its good reputation. The headteacher is dedicated and has rightly earned the respect of the whole school community. He leads the staff successfully, providing a good role model for teachers and pupils alike. Governors play an important role and are keenly supportive and involved in many aspects of school life. Parents' and pupils' views are sought and are taken seriously so it is not surprising that the vast majority are extremely satisfied with the school's work. It is well placed to continue to improve. 5 Inspection Report: Crownfield Junior School, 10 July 2006 to 11 July 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: Crownfield Junior School, 10 July 2006 to 11 July 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 2 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 1 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 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 1 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 1 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 You may remember that we came to visit your school to see how good it was and how well you were doing. Thank you for making us so welcome and talking to us about all the exciting things you do in school. I am writing to tell you what we especially liked about your school.* We think you are very well cared for and looked after by the adults who work in school.* Your teachers work hard to plan lessons that help you reach good standards in mathematics, science and reading.* You all work hard in lessons and do your best.* You go on lots of exciting visits and enjoy many out of school activities.* You are all really polite children and your behaviour is excellent. To make the school even better we have asked your teachers to * make sure that you all do as well in writing as you do in other subjects. Yours sincerely Nina Bee Lead Inspector

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