Parsonage Farm Primary School

Inspection Report Parsonage Farm Primary School

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102312 Unique Reference Number Havering LEA LEA 276692 Inspection number 23 February 2006 to 24 February 2006 Inspection dates Lyn Riley AI Reporting inspector

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

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Farm Road School address Primary Type of school Rainham Community School category Essex RM13 9JU 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01708 555186 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01708 556025 Fax number 467 Number on roll Mr D Seagroatt Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs P Beaton Headteacher Not applicable Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 276692 23 February 2006 - 4 to 11 24 February 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

Parsonage Farm Primary is a larger than average school. The infant and junior schools were amalgamated in 2003 after the junior school was placed in special measures in 2001. The vast majority of pupils are of white British heritage. A few pupils are at an early stage of learning English as an additional language. The percentage of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is broadly average. The percentage of pupils entitled to free school meals is below the national average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Parsonage Farm Primary School, 23 February 2006 to 24 February 2006

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Grade: 2

The school judges its overall effectiveness to be good and inspectors agree. The amalgamation has been very well led and managed by the head teacher, the governing body and the leadership team. Leaders know the school's strengths and weaknesses very well and have correctly identified the key priorities for improvement. The school provides good value for money.There has been a steady rise in results at the end of Year 6 since the schools were amalgamated in 2003. Pupils start school with standards that are slightly below average, particularly in communication, language and literacy, but make good progress from the Reception Year to Year 6 to attain standards that are in line with the national average by the time they leave the school. Standards in the Foundation Stage are in line with national expectations and provision is good.The school's self-evaluation is mostly accurate and where inspectors have disagreed, it has

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Grade: 2

been to increase grades where the school has been overly modest. Teaching and learning are good overall and there is some outstanding practice. Marking is undertaken diligently by teachers but pupils do not always respond to these helpful comments in their next piece of work. Opportunities for pupils to complete writing tasks in English and other lessons are sometimes missed and this hampers pupils' development of their writing skills. The curriculum meets statutory requirements and is enriched by a good range of extra-curricular activities. Pupils are cared for very well and feel safe in school. Parental support for the school is overwhelmingly positive, but, despite the school's best efforts, attendance remains below average.

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What the school should do to improve further

* Make better use of marking and target-setting to raise standards and improve pupils' achievement, especially in writing* Improve opportunities for pupils to use and develop their writing skills* Improve levels of attendance; encouraging parents not to take their children on holiday in school time

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Grade: 2

Children's attainment on entry is slightly below average. They are keen to learn when they start and the good quality teaching they receive in the Foundation Stage enables them to settle in quickly and make good progress. In 2005 Year 2 test results in reading, writing and mathematics were in line with national averages and the pupils met challenging targets. In the two years the school has been open, pupils in Years 3 to 6 have made good progress so that in 2005 the attainment of pupils in Year 6 was average in English, mathematics and science. Challenging targets for reading, mathematics and science were met. The school has recognised that it needs to raise standards in writing. Some useful links have been made between different subjects and these are beginning to enable pupils to practice their writing skills across the curriculum.Standards in information and communication technology (ICT) have been raised in the past two

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Grade: 2

years and are now above average. Year 1 pupils use MS Paint effectively and pupils 2 Inspection Report: Parsonage Farm Primary School, 23 February 2006 to 24 February 2006 in Year 6 have created an informative PowerPoint presentation which provides useful information for visitors to the school. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities are well supported and, as a result, make good progress.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' attitudes to learning and behaviour are very good because of the positive relationships they have with adults and other pupils of all ages. Pupils enjoy coming to school but, due to a significant number of holidays being taken in term-time, attendance is below the national average.The pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good. In one lesson pupils used pace, pitch and volume to reflect the feelings of the character they were reading about. Pupils have a strong sense of right and wrong and their class rules show a good understanding of working together as a community. They have a very good understanding of the needs of others and are active in raising funds for charities. Pupils work together very well, respecting each other's views. The prefects and the school council take their responsibilities seriously and understand that their actions have an impact on the life of the school. As a council

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Grade: 2

member said 'We can now have a drink when we need to and we have proper soap in the toilets.' Pupils' understanding of the need for a healthy diet and how to keep safe is very good. Pupils' advanced information and communication technology [ICT] skills and their sound skills in literacy and numeracy equip them well for their future economic wellbeing.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good overall and occasionally outstanding. Teachers have good subject knowledge, prepare well and enjoy very good relationships with pupils. These factors set a purposeful context for learning and ensure that pupils of all abilities make good progress. Teachers engage pupils well through varied approaches, challenging questions and the effective use of paired and group work. This encourages pupils to think for themselves. In an outstanding lesson the teacher effectively encouraged and supported pupils, enabling them to feel confident when evaluating their own work. In a satisfactory lesson the time spent on speaking and listening did not allow enough time for pupils to consolidate their work through writing. Teachers use a variety of approaches to assess pupils' work and the quality of teachers' marking is good overall. Marking is regular and offers pupils constructive feedback on how to

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Grade: 2

improve but this is not always followed up in lessons. Pupils are set targets for improvement but these are only rarely mentioned in teachers' marking. Pupils are not fully involved in setting their own targets but some good examples were seen where teachers encouraged pupils to evaluate their own work. There are few examples of pupils responding to teachers' comments in books and this limits the impact of the marking on improving pupils' work. 3 Inspection Report: Parsonage Farm Primary School, 23 February 2006 to 24 February 2006

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. It provides well for pupils' academic and personal needs and also allows them to be creative and enjoy their education. The Foundation Stage curriculum meets the children's needs well. The curriculum tackles basic skills thoroughly and ensures that pupils of all abilities make good progress. Sometimes, however, there is too much emphasis on worksheets and opportunities to extend pupils' writing are missed. Provision for ICT is very good and is used well to support learning in other subjects. Pupils' learning is enriched in a variety of ways. The school is rightly proud of its links with the community and the very good range of visits and visitors. There are many sporting activities and pupils have regular opportunities to compete successfully against other schools. There are very good links with Chafford School and specialist teachers support sport, science and ICT. Year 6 pupils have opportunities to

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Grade: 2

use the Chafford School's facilities. Provision for pupils' personal, social and health education and citizenship is very good.

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Grade: 2

The school provides good levels of care, guidance and support for all pupils. The very good child protection procedures are well established and are fully understood by all adults in the school. The school has outstanding procedures for ensuring the safety and well being of the pupils. Pupils of all ages and abilities are comfortable about sharing their news with the adults in the school, and are confident that they will be treated kindly if they have any personal worries. The school has a rigorous and efficient system for tracking and assessing pupils' progress. Pupils know their individual targets for improvement but do not always refer to these in lessons. Parents value the information provided by the school and appreciate school guidance on learning at home.

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Grade: 2

Following the amalgamation of the infant and junior schools, the headteacher and governing body have worked tirelessly to establish a warm, welcoming school that is highly respected by pupils and parents alike. The headteacher provides clear direction for the school and is well supported by the newly formed leadership team and the governing body. Since the amalgamation, standards have risen steadily and pupils make good progress across the school. Parental support for the school is overwhelmingly positive and the school's popularity in the local community has increased significantly. School self-evaluation is largely accurate and the correct priorities for improvement have been identified and planned for. The quality of teaching and learning has improved as a result of effective monitoring and evaluation by the leadership and management teams. And, although not yet embedded consistently across the school, teachers' marking and assessment provides useful management

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Grade: 2

4 Inspection Report: Parsonage Farm Primary School, 23 February 2006 to 24 February 2006 information for further improvement. Established teachers have developed their practice effectively and teachers who are new to the profession are supported well. The school is fully committed to equality of opportunity and all pupils, including the most vulnerable and those with learning disabilities and difficulties, achieve well. The school regularly consults with pupils and parents and acts upon their views.Despite the difficulties of operating in two separate school buildings, resources are used well to support learning and the school provides good value for money. The school's capacity for further improvement is very good as illustrated by the effective way in which standards have been raised.The governors are well organised, discharge their responsibilities effectively and have a good understanding of the school's strengths

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Grade: 2

and areas for development. Their commitment and contribution has been invaluable in moving the school forward since the amalgamation. 5 Inspection Report: Parsonage Farm Primary School, 23 February 2006 to 24 February 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: Parsonage Farm Primary School, 23 February 2006 to 24 February 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 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

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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 4 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 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

Thank you for welcoming the inspection team to your school and for taking the time to talk to us in lessons and around the school. The team would particularly like to thank the School Council and the Prefects for their contribution to the inspection process. The inspection team agree that Parsonage Farm is a good school and here are some of the things we particularly liked:-* The headteacher and leadership team manage your school very well* You are very well cared for and feel safe and secure in school* You make good progress from Year R to Year 6* You behave very well in lessons and you enjoy learning* Your teachers make sure you all achieve well You can help to make your school even better by:-* Reading the teachers' marking comments in your books and acting upon them when you do the next piece of work * Practising and developing your writing skills in literacy and other lessons* Coming to school every day and

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

trying not to take your holidays during term time.With best wishes for the future,

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