Ivybridge Primary School

Inspection Report Ivybridge Primary School

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102512 Unique Reference Number Hounslow LEA LEA 276727 Inspection number 28 November 2005 to 29 November 2005 Inspection dates John Earish AI Reporting inspector

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

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Summerwood Road School address Primary Type of school Mogden Lane Community School category Isleworth TW7 7QB 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 02088912727 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 02086079112 Fax number 234 Number on roll Mr Paul Barwell Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Ms Caroline McKay Headteacher 8 May 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 276727 28 November 2005 - 3 to 11 29 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 two additional inspectors.

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Description of the school

Ivybridge Primary is a popular school for children aged three to eleven years. It caters for pupils who represent a rich diversity of cultures, faiths and languages including Somali, Hindi, Punjabi, Swahili, Farsi and Urdu as its major languages in addition to English. In total, 26 languages are spoken. Nearly half of the pupils are in the early stages of learning English, including a number of complete beginners. Just over half of the pupils are entitled to free school meals, which is much higher than in most schools.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Ivybridge Primary School, 28 November 2005 to 29 November 2005

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Grade: 2

Ivybridge is an effective school which provides good value for money. The headteacher and her deputy lead the school effectively. It is well managed and runs smoothly. Self-evaluation is accurate and is being used successfully to bring about improvement. The standards reached by learners are good over time. Children in the Foundation Stage receive a good start to their education and make rapid progress. Good care and support helps pupils develop positive attitudes to learning and enjoy being in school. The pupils' personal development is good. They are confident and considerate to one another and behave well because that is what is expected by their teachers. Parents express overwhelming support for the school and the friendly family atmosphere. The school has made good progress in remedying the weaknesses identified at the previous inspection and tackling new initiatives such as training pupils as peer mediators. The

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Grade: 2

school is taking action to improve pupils' writing and increase links between learning activities to boost their creativity. The school has good capacity to make further improvements.

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What the school should do to improve further

Focus on:* raising achievement in writing * boosting pupils' creativity by providing more links between learning activities.

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Grade: 2

Most children enter the Nursery with standards that are very much lower than expected for their age, particularly in language and communication and personal, social and emotional skills. Many begin school with little or no English and a considerable number have significant speech and language difficulties. These children make rapid progress and achieve well.The results for eleven year olds in 2003 and 2004 show an improving trend with progress in Key Stage 2 being significantly better than the national average. More able pupils achieved the higher levels in mathematics and science, but fewer managed this in English. The results for the 2005 national tests show that standards dipped and were average overall. However, this was associated with a significant increase in the numbers whose first language is not English and those who have very recently arrived in the country joining Year 6. However, the school's own tracking of

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Grade: 2

individual pupil performance shows that pupils are making good progress from Years 3 to 6 and achieving well.Standards at the end of Year 2 are just below average, with writing weaker than reading and mathematics. The most recent results for 2005 show a significant increase in the number achieving the higher levels in reading and mathematics, but there were no pupils achieving the higher levels in writing. Those with learning difficulties and English as an additional language are also making good progress. The school is very aware of the performance by different ethnic groups and uses this well to match the support to their needs. 2 Inspection Report: Ivybridge Primary School, 28 November 2005 to 29 November 2005

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Grade: 2

The personal development of pupils is good. They enjoy school very much despite attendance being just below the national average. Their behaviour is good and is the result of the high expectations of all the adults and the very good relationships within the school. Pupils make a very good contribution to the school community through the school council, where their views are discussed and taken seriously. For example, they have helped improve the quality of the school meals because they understand the importance of healthy lifestyles. In this way, pupils gain a good basic introduction to the principles of the democratic process. The pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good, and is strongly supported by the school's positive ethos. There are many instances of pupils caring for others by raising money for charities such as the British Heart Foundation and 'Feed the World Week'. The older

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Grade: 2

pupils generously give of their time to help organise the Summer Fair, Maths and Book Weeks and playground games for the younger pupils. At the same time, they are learning skills and qualities they will find useful in their future working roles.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching is good overall and confirms the school's own evaluation. A significant feature is that teachers use questions well to consolidate and extend pupils' learning. Activities are well planned and learning is well matched to individual abilities. For example, an older able mathematician was set a very challenging task and was helped to break down the problem into manageable steps in order to succeed. However, when teaching is less effective, too much time is spent introducing the activity and the momentum for rapid learning is lost. As the school seeks to improve, it is reviewing the teaching of writing, especially in relation to the younger pupils.The school has improved the quality of teaching in the Foundation Stage so there are more opportunities for children to find out for themselves through imaginative or creative play. As a result, children enjoy their learning and make rapid progress. Learning

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Grade: 2

support assistants are deployed well and contribute significantly to the pupils' learning. Assessment is used well to track pupils' progress and to provide extra help as soon as it is needed. Staff have high expectations of pupils' work and constantly encourage them to succeed. Furthermore, adults are increasing the opportunities for pupils to understand how well they are doing by helping them assess their own work.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum covers a wide range of interesting activities and experiences, which help the pupils achieve well. Regular reviews of the curriculum and adjustments to the way learning is organised are enhancing the effectiveness of initiatives such the writing 3 Inspection Report: Ivybridge Primary School, 28 November 2005 to 29 November 2005 project. Although the school has started to develop links between areas of learning so pupils can be more creative, not enough is done to address the weaknesses in writing for the youngest pupils. A good example of recent progress is the improvement to information and communication technology (ICT) since the last inspection. This means that teachers and pupils now have far greater opportunities to use ICT creatively to enhance learning. This has resulted in the pupils winning the local schools 'ICT Challenge' for two years in succession. The pupils' understanding of how to stay safe

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Grade: 2

and healthy is promoted effectively through the curriculum, especially in science, physical education and personal, social and health education. The school provides a good range of after-school activities and visits, which add to pupils' enjoyment and learning during their time at the school.

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Grade: 2

Pupils receive good care and guidance throughout the school. Adults do much to raise pupils' self esteem and to help them become effective learners by creating a secure learning environment where all are valued equally. For example, pupils who have specific learning difficulties and those that are vulnerable achieve well because they are well guided and supported. Pupils with English as an additional language also receive good quality support. This is the result of effective co-operation between teachers, support assistants and outside agencies. The school is rightly proud of its caring ethos and adults and pupils confirm it is a happy community. Every pupil is treated as an individual, which is valued by parents. Arrangements for safeguarding pupils are robust and regularly reviewed. Health and safety routines and risk assessments are fully in place. Child protection procedures are clear and widely

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Grade: 2

understood. As a result, pupils feel safe and secure, and enjoy coming to school.

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Grade: 2

The quality of leadership and management is good. There is a clear focus on achievement as well as pupils' personal development and care. School self -evaluation is accurate and has been used well to identify areas for improving the attainment of pupils, for example through the introduction of new initiatives to improve writing and linking learning in ICT to other subjects. These are already having a positive effect on pupils' achievement, and are further evidence of the school's good capacity to improve. The school improvement plan drives the work of the school and ensures the pace of change remains manageable.The commitment and enthusiasm of the headteacher and her deputy are good. They are held in high regard by the whole school community. Parents were overwhelmingly supportive of the caring ethos they have created. Governance is satisfactory. The appointment of a new chair of governors is enabling

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Grade: 2

the governors to develop their skills of monitoring and evaluation. However, there are still vacancies on the governing body despite his very best efforts to find new members. The headteacher and co-ordinators recognise the number of pupils identified as having learning difficulties and disabilities or speak English as an additional language form 4 Inspection Report: Ivybridge Primary School, 28 November 2005 to 29 November 2005 an increasingly significant number of the school roll. They are managing these challenges well, for example by constantly adjusting the way pupils are supported and monitored. This is having a positive impact on pupils' achievement. 5 Inspection Report: Ivybridge Primary School, 28 November 2005 to 29 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: Ivybridge Primary School, 28 November 2005 to 29 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 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 3 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 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

Following our visit to inspect your school we would like to tell you what we think about how well you are getting on and how well your school is helping you to learn. We enjoyed seeing you at work and at playtimes, and liked talking to you.There are lots of things that we like about your school. Some of them are:* Your headteacher and deputy headteacher are good at finding ways to improve your school so that you learn better and enjoy your work more.* All of the grown ups in school look after each of you so that you feel safe and happy. You told us that you know they will always help you if you are upset or worried. This makes you enjoy being in school. * You also told us that you like to take on extra responsibilities and to help others. You are pleased that the school listens to you and acts on your ideas.* Your teachers collect information about your progress and use this well to give you extra support when you need it. They also

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

help you to understand how well you are doing.We think your school could be even better if: * Teachers found different ways for you to learn about subjects such as history, geography and science so that you can be more inventive and creative. * You improved your written work so that it becomes more interesting and varied.Thank you again for talking to us and answering our questions.

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