Field End Junior SchoolOfsted inspection, 4 Nov 2005

Inspection Report Field End Junior School

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102378 Unique Reference Number Hillingdon LEA LEA 276708 Inspection number 3 November 2005 to 4 November 2005 Inspection dates Derek Watts AI Reporting inspector

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

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Field End Road School address Junior Type of school Eastcote Community School category Ruislip HA4 9PQ 7 to 11 Age range of pupils 02088668752 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 02088668782 Fax number 373 Number on roll Mr G P Gibaut Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Ms Sheila Pikulski Headteacher 13 March 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 276708 3 November 2005 - 7 to 11 4 November 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 inspectors.

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Description of the school

Field End is a larger than average size junior school with 374 pupils on roll. Most pupils are from white British backgrounds with the remainder from a wide range of other ethnic backgrounds. About 10% of the school's pupil population have English as an additional language but only a few are at an early stage of English language acquisition. The number of pupils eligible for free school meals is below average. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties is just below the national average. Pupils' attainment on entry to the school varies from year to year; in the current Year 6, attainment on entry was 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: Field End Junior School, 3 November 2005 to 4 November 2005

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Grade: 3

The school rates its effectiveness satisfactory and this is the finding of the inspection team. Field End Junior provides sound value for money. Pupils' achievement is satisfactory overall. They achieve well in science due to good opportunities for practical and investigative work, and by Year 6 standards are well above average in this subject. Boys do not perform as well as the girls in English, mathematics or science. Throughout the school, pupils display positive attitudes, behave well and relationships are very good. Good opportunities for pupils to take responsibilities are under taken with commitment and enthusiasm. Attendance levels are above average. Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall. Good pupil management, effective explanations, demonstrations and questioning are strong elements of the teaching. Tasks are not always well matched to individual needs. There are inconsistencies in pupils' handwriting

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Grade: 3

and presentation of work. The curriculum is enriched by a good range of visits, visitors and additional activities and these contribute well to pupils' enjoyment and achievement. Pupils are cared for well. The school is well regarded by the parents and receives good support from them. The relatively new head teacher is determined to raise pupils' achievement. Clear systems for evaluating the school's performance have been introduced particularly the monitoring of teaching. The school is showing signs of raising achievement in English and mathematics. However, the analysis of national data is not always sufficiently rigorous and targets for improvement are not sufficiently focused on raising achievement of specific groups of pupils. Satisfactory improvements have been made since the last inspection. The school' capacity to make further improvements is good.

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What the school should do to improve further

* Improve the consistency of good teaching and learning through the school's planned monitoring and development system.* Analyse national test data more thoroughly and use the findings to produce sharply focused plans for raising the achievement of different groups of pupils. * Improve pupils' handwriting and presentation of work through developing a more consistent approach.

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Grade: 3

The school accurately evaluates pupils' achievement to be satisfactory. Pupils' attainment on entry to the school in the current Year 6 was above average. Pupils achieve satisfactorily in English and mathematics and standards by Year 6, are above average in these subjects. In science pupils' achievement is good and standards are well above average. A well planned science curriculum with good emphasis on practical and investigative work contributes towards these high standards and good achievement. National test results have shown that girls perform much better than the boys in English, mathematics and science. The school recognises this difference and has taken effective action to raise boys' achievement in reading by introducing a reading scheme 2 Inspection Report: Field End Junior School, 3 November 2005 to 4 November 2005 which has appealing topics for boys. The school is exploring ways to raise boys'

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Grade: 3

achievement in writing. Pupils with learning difficulties benefit from the support they receive and achieve satisfactorily. Gifted and talented pupils have been accurately identified but tracking of their progress and their provision is at an early stage of development. Assessment data is beginning to be used more effectively to evaluate pupils' learning, plan future work and set pupils challenging targets. However, there are inconsistencies in this practice. Throughout the school, pupils' handwriting and presentation of work are not as good as they should be.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development and well being are good. Pupils enjoy school and participate readily in the activities provided. For example, during the inspection, Year 4 pupils with help from their parents produced impressive costumes for an 'Invaders and Settlers Day'. Pupils and staff dressed up as Vikings, Romans and Anglo Saxons. The attendance rates are above average. Pupils behave well and relationships between pupils and between pupils and adults are very good. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils benefit from the school's ethos of 'value education' and the opportunities to think and reflect. Pupils understand what is right or wrong and most act accordingly. Respect for others is well developed. The school has not had any exclusions in recent years. Pupils contribute well to the school community and thrive on the good range of responsibilities given such as being a school council

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Grade: 2

member, a buddy or one of the numerous monitor roles. They raise money for charitable causes. Through the school council activities pupils are learning about democratic processes. Visits and theme days enrich pupils' social and cultural development.The school promotes healthy living well and pupils understand how healthy food and exercise will help them to concentrate and improve their learning. Pupils are acquiring appropriate reading, writing and computer skills and good working habits to support their future economic well-being.

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Grade: 3

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory and this is in keeping with the school's evaluation. There are a number of examples of good teaching and learning but this good practice is not consistent across the school. Teachers manage the pupils well and have established very good relationships with them. Explanations, demonstrations and questioning are generally used well by teachers to promote learning. Pupils respond well and their speaking and listening skills are well developed. In a good Year 6 mathematics lesson, pupils were exploring and measuring the area and perimeter of rectangles. More challenging and demanding tasks were set for a high attaining group which included finding the area of circles and semi circles. The levels of challenge and enjoyment were high. As a result, all pupils made good progress 3 Inspection Report: Field End Junior School, 3 November 2005 to 4 November 2005

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Grade: 3

because the tasks were well matched to their abilities. However, some lessons are too teacher directed and provide the pupils with too few opportunities to use their initiative and play a more active role in their learning. Furthermore, tasks are not always planned well enough to match pupils' different abilities and so they are not suitably challenged. The quality of pupils' handwriting and presentation of work is not as good as it should be as expectations and guidance on these is not consistent across the school. Monitoring by the headteacher has identified these areas and work is underway to enhance achievement.

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Grade: 3

The school provides an interesting curriculum which satisfactorily meets the needs of pupils. Teachers use national guidelines appropriately to support their planning of lessons, but the needs of different groups of pupils are not always taken fully into account. There are some good examples of pupils using and applying literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT) skills to aid their learning in other subjects. There is a clear emphasis on promoting healthy lifestyles, safe practice and pupils' contributions to the school and broader community. A wide range of clubs and extra-curricular activities are provided such as choir, drama, football, netball, recorders, folk dancing and tennis. Further enrichment opportunities are provided by a programme of day visits to sites of historical and cultural interest, theme days and a residential visit for Year 6 pupils to the Isle of Wight. This is a successful and popular

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Grade: 3

trip which contributes well to pupils' academic and social development. The good range of additional activities contribute well to pupils' achievement and enjoyment.

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Grade: 2

The care, guidance and support that pupils receive are good. The school has established a calm, orderly environment where all are respected. There is a warm welcome to visitors. Parents have positive views of the school and support it well.Staff know the pupils well and provide effective support for them. Health and safety procedures are effective and so pupils feel safe and secure at school. The 'Safer Route to School' scheme, which is a governor led initiative, has helped in developing pupil awareness of personal safety and healthy livingpractices. Child protection procedures are good and staff are well informed about these.The marking of pupils work gives guidance on how they can improve their work. However the school's assessment and target setting procedures are not fully developed.

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Grade: 3

The leadership and management are satisfactory. The head teacher has a clear vision for the school which is focused on raising pupils' achievement through effective self evaluation and a culture of continuous improvement. Care, guidance and support for 4 Inspection Report: Field End Junior School, 3 November 2005 to 4 November 2005 pupils' personal needs are strong. The school has recently formed a new leadership team where key responsibilities, such as teaching and learning, assessment and inclusion have been delegated effectively to senior staff.Clear and well thought out systems for monitoring and evaluating the school's performance have been introduced and these include the monitoring of teaching, checking teachers' plans and the analysis of assessments. The monitoring of teaching is effective and is being used to develop teaching and learning. This was confirmed by the joint class observations carried out

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Grade: 3

when the head teacher and deputy accompanied the inspectors. The school's evaluations were accurate and clear developmental feedback was provided to the teachers seen. However, national tests results are not always analysed with sufficient rigour in order to identify strengths and weaknesses in the learning of different groups. Improvement planning is sound and there are signs that the school is raising achievement in English and mathematics. However, planning contains too many priorities and targets in the plan are not always sharply focused. Furthermore, clear criteria to measure the successful implementation of the plan is lacking. The governors are supportive and have been effective in helping to improve accommodation and organising a 'Safer Route to School' initiative. Since the last inspection, the school has made sound improvements. The new leadership team and the clear evaluation systems introduced are too recent to have had the desired effect of raising pupil's

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Grade: 3

achievement from satisfactory to good. Parents hold the school in high regard and are supportive of its work. The school's capacity to make further improvements is good. 5 Inspection Report: Field End Junior School, 3 November 2005 to 4 November 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: Field End Junior School, 3 November 2005 to 4 November 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 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 3 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 2 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 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 3 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 3 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 3 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 3 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 3 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 so much for welcoming us into your school and for showing us your work. We enjoyed talking to you. We would like to tell you what we found out about your school. These are the areas that we were particularly pleased with:* You enjoy school and take part in activities well.* You are making really good progress in science. * Children at Field End are courteous, friendly and well behaved.* Most of you get on very well with other pupils and adults.* The head teacher and staff make sure you are safe and well cared for.* You all look very smart in your distinctive red school uniform.* There is a good range of clubs and visits which you clearly enjoy.There are a few things that we think could be improved:* Your teachers are keen to make all their lessons good ones and checks will be made to help them do this.* A number of you could improve your handwriting and the presentation of your work.* Some of

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

your teachers could give you chances to be more involved in your learning through practical and group work.* Your test results show that the girls are doing better than the boys in English, mathematics and science. Your teachers are looking at ways to help the boys do better. Finally, we would like to thank you once again for all your help. We wish you well in the future. With kind regards Derek Watts, Lead inspector

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