Green Lane Primary and Nursery SchoolOfsted inspection, 19 Oct 2005

Inspection Report Green Lane Primary and Nursery School

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102569 Unique Reference Number Kingston Upon Thames LEA LEA 276736 Inspection number 18 October 2005 to 19 October 2005 Inspection dates Graham Lee AI Reporting inspector

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

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Green Lane School address Primary Type of school Worcester Park Community School category Surrey KT4 8AS 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 02083376976 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 02083307023 Fax number 342 Number on roll Mr Nick Harris Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Richard Jewell Headteacher 22 November 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 276736 18 October 2005 - 3 to 11 19 October 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

Green Lane is a large primary school situated in Sutton but part of Kingston Local Education Authority. It serves an increasingly diverse community and around 13% of pupils speak English as an additional language. The main languages are Korean, Tamil and Arabic. Korean pupils are particularly mobile staying in school for no more than six months. There are very few socially disadvantaged pupils in the school and very few are entitled to free school meals. Around 11% of pupils have special educational needs. The school offers child care throughout the day.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Green Lane Primary and Nursery School, 18 October 2005 to 19 October 2005

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Grade: 2

Green Lane is a good school. Pupils are proud of their school; they enjoy learning and achieve well for the most part. They behave well and feel safe and secure because of the caring environment that has been created. The school enjoys a very productive partnership with parents. It provides good value for money.The school has been well led over several years by the headteacher working in close partnership with a very effective governing body, leadership team and committed and enthusiastic staff. Many improvements have been made since the last inspection and the school is very clear about what has to be done to improve still further.Children make a sound start to their education in the nursery and reception classes and make good progress overall as they move through the school. Their progress accelerates in years 2 and 6 because of stronger teaching. As a result standards are above average by the time they move on

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Grade: 2

to secondary school. However, pupils' achievements in writing, particularly the boys, are not as good as they are in reading. Teachers do not always give pupils clear guidance on how to improve their writing.The school provides a rich and interesting curriculum for its pupils. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory overall although some very good lessons were seen during the inspection. In the best lessons, teachers provide suitable challenges for all groups of pupils. In a few classes teachers do not always expect enough of pupils, particularly the more able.

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What the school should do to improve further

* Improve the attainment of all pupils in writing, particularly that of boys.* Give pupils clear guidance on how to improve their work. * Ensure that all teachers provide consistently challenging work and have sufficiently high expectations of what pupils can achieve.

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Grade: 2

Learners' achievements are good overall at Green Lane. From the time they enter the school pupils make at least sound progress in most areas of their learning. Their progress accelerates in Year 2 and Year 6 because of good teaching. However, throughout the school pupils make better progress in reading than in writing, particularly the boys. When progress accelerates in years 2 and 6, pupils are given very clear specific guidance on how to improve all aspects of their work including their writing.Children arrive in the school with skills and understanding that are broadly average overall. They quickly settle into school routines through the care and nurture of all the adults in the foundation classes. As a result, most enter Year 1 having achieved the learning goals set for children of that age in all areas of their learning.At the age of seven they reach standards that are broadly in line with the national average in

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Grade: 2

mathematics, writing and reading. The picture for eleven year olds has been more variable. Following the last inspection test results in English, maths and science improved significantly before dipping in 2004 particularly in mathematics. In that year, 2 Inspection Report: Green Lane Primary and Nursery School, 18 October 2005 to 19 October 2005 a significant group of boys did not do as well as expected. Provisional results for 2005 showed dramatic recovery and levels of attainment were high. The school sets challenging targets for its pupils and these were largely met in 2005.Pupils with learning difficulties and those speaking English as an additional language make as much progress as other groups because of the good support they receive. Those of higher ability generally achieve soundly, although they could do more in a few lessons when work is not challenging enough for them.

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Grade: 2

The pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils are proud of their school. They enjoy their learning, co-operate well and play a full part in the life of the school. They are keen to exercise responsibility through the School Council and as playground mediators. Pupils are learning how to become good citizens, for example they were very involved in developing a travel plan for the local area. They develop an awareness of the various cultures represented in the school and are able to reflect on a range of issues in assemblies and lessons.Pupils are polite and friendly and behave well for the most part in class and around the school. In a few lessons, when they are sitting for too long, a few boys can become restless and disengaged. Pupils' attendance is satisfactory overall. However the figures are depressed by a few families who do not get their children to school regularly enough. The school is doing

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Grade: 2

everything it can to improve the attendance of these pupils in conjunction with outside agencies. Excellent awareness of healthy living is evident in the every day life of the school from the morning aerobics session to healthy lunches. Pupils are also conscious of the need to look after their own safety and that of others as they move around the school and play on the apparatus. They develop basic skills and a facility with computers, which prepare them well for secondary education and the world beyond.

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall. All the teaching seen during the inspection was at least satisfactory. In some lessons the teaching was good and in a few, it was outstanding. The quality of teaching in the foundation classes is satisfactory and provides children with a sound start to their education. In the best lessons in Years 2 and 6 the teaching is consistently good or better and accounts for the better progress and improved standards in the 2005 test results. Work is stimulating, challenging and pitched at the right level for every child. For example, in a Year 6 lesson on data handling, pupils used real data on athletic performance to work out the mean, mode and median. Work was challenging for all pupils who were thoroughly engaged and achieved well.Elsewhere teachers have secure subject knowledge. They have good relationships with the pupils and most manage their classes well. As a result pupils

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Grade: 3

generally behave well and develop their knowledge and understanding satisfactorily. 3 Inspection Report: Green Lane Primary and Nursery School, 18 October 2005 to 19 October 2005 However, on some occasions teachers do not always have high enough expectations for what pupils can achieve and sometimes work is not challenging enough. This is particularly true in writing when they are not given sufficient opportunities to write for different audiences on a variety of topics. Children know their targets for learning but not always how they can achieve them. There are examples of very good marking and feedback which give children clear direction for how they can improve especially in Years 2 and 6. However, this is not the case in all classes, particularly when it involves the marking of the pupils' writing.

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Grade: 2

The school provides pupils with an interesting and stimulating curriculum. For example, during the inspection the school ran a Healthy Living week. The week was planned so that all subjects linked to the theme and children were motivated and inspired by the many interesting, exciting and enjoyable activities. This is part of termly 'suspended timetable' programme when the timetable of the week centres on creativity and enjoyment. The school is developing many effective links between different parts of the curriculum. The Foundation Stage curriculum is satisfactory and all children have many opportunities to work in the exciting outdoor area, which greatly enriches the learning environment.The curriculum is enriched by a residential trip to the Isle of Wight for older pupils and by many exciting visits. Pupils remember their experiences out of school with pleasure. Year 6 pupils studying World War II had a trip to New

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Grade: 2

Haven Fort and recalled, 'It was so good because you really got to see what things were like for real.'

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Grade: 2

Staff at Green Lane take good care of pupils. They know them well and ensure that every child feels safe and secure at school. Arrangements for protecting children are fully in place and understood by all members of staff. Careful consideration is given to any potential risks. Consistent procedures for managing behaviour ensure that pupils know what is expected of them. The school works with a range of outside agencies to help support their pupils; for example the deputy headteacher is currently working on a project with the educational psychologist to assess the provision and progress of pupils with learning difficulties. Other systems for monitoring achievement are robust and generally used effectively to set targets for improvement.The school works in close partnership with its parents who work hard to support the school in many ways. The provision of all day 'wrap around' care is greatly valued by parents

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Grade: 2

and indicative of the commitment of the school to the community. 4 Inspection Report: Green Lane Primary and Nursery School, 18 October 2005 to 19 October 2005

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Grade: 2

Inspectors agree with the school's evaluation that leadership and management are good. The headteacher is a strong leader who is committed to ensuring that every child is able to achieve as well as they can. Over several years he has established a caring and happy learning environment where children feel safe and secure. This has a very positive impact on their personal development. He is very well supported by a new and enthusiastic deputy head and senior management team. Governors are very knowledgeable and resourceful and provide high quality support and challenge. School leaders are well aware of the strengths and weaknesses of their school and are prepared to try a range of strategies in order to bring about improvement. In response to poorer results in mathematics in 2004, school leaders identified the issues and introduced effective measures to secure rapid improvements. They are also willing to change

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Grade: 2

course if a particular idea does not seem to be working. For example, a range of programmes to improve the standards of boys' writing has not yet been entirely successful. The school is now looking at this issue in a new and more creative way. The school works in close partnership with parents and consults them on a range of issues to enlist their support.The school checks the progress of individual pupils and groups carefully in order to put support in place if it is needed. There are also sound systems for monitoring teaching and learning. Teachers find this helpful and constructive although points for development are not always followed up effectively.Significant progress has been made since the last inspection, most notably in improving standards and the behaviour of pupils. School leaders and governors are not complacent however, and inspectors are confident the school is well placed to improve further.

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Grade: 2

5 Inspection Report: Green Lane Primary and Nursery School, 18 October 2005 to 19 October 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: Green Lane Primary and Nursery School, 18 October 2005 to 19 October 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 3 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 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 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 1 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 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 2 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 1 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

I am writing to thank you all for making us so welcome when we came to the school earlier in the week. We really enjoyed our time at Green Lane and you helped us by being so friendly and willing to talk. We thought you might like to know what we found out. You are rightly proud of your school because it has a very good atmosphere and you are all well looked after. You all behave well and take a full part in school life through the School Council or when acting as 'buddies' to new children. We were very impressed with the healthy schools week and all you do to keep fit and healthy.You make a good start in the nursery and are very lucky to have a lovely outdoor area. You are doing well in the rest of the school and learning new things as you go along. By the time you move on to secondary school you are well prepared and reaching good levels. Some of you find writing a bit more difficult and are not doing quite so well, particularly the boys!

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Your teachers work hard to plan interesting things for you to do. In most lessons you work very hard although in a few you could be given harder work. There are a lot of really interesting things for you to do such as the trip to the Isle of Wight and all the exciting visits you go on.Your school is a nice place to be and that is because the headteacher and other staff have worked hard to make it a happy and friendly place. They are trying hard to make it an even better school. We have asked teachers to help you improve your writing by telling you what you need to do to make it better. We have also asked them to make sure that all your work is hard enough for you but not too hard! Regards Graham Lee, Lead Inspector

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