Cranmer Primary School

Inspection Report Cranmer Primary School

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102653 Unique Reference Number Merton LEA LEA 276751 Inspection number 21 September 2005 to 22 September 2005 Inspection dates Robert Ellis HMI Reporting inspector

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

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Cranmer Road School address Primary Type of school Mitcham Community School category Surrey CR4 4XU 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 02086482621 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 02086408172 Fax number 395 Number on roll Mrs S Collis Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Ms V Kenny Headteacher 29 November 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 276751 21 September 2005 - 3 to 11 22 September 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 one of Her Majesty's Inspectors and two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Cranmer is a popular primary school that has a nursery and a moderate learning difficulties unit. Pupils' standards are usually average on joining the school although the balance of higher and lower attaining pupils can vary considerably from year to year. Around two thirds of the pupils are from ethnic minority backgrounds and one in five pupils comes from homes experiencing economic hardship. Over the last three years the school has been in transition from a five form entry middle school to a two form entry primary school.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Cranmer Primary School, 21 September 2005 to 22 September 2005

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Grade: 2

Cranmer Primary School is a good school with some outstanding features.The re-organisation of Merton schools in 2002 created significant challenges for the school, including high staff turnover and pupil mobility. The change has been managed well and the school is now in the final phase of transition and beginning to reap the rewards of a more settled staff and pupils. The school is well led and efficient management ensures that it provides good value for money. The senior managers have an accurate view of the overall effectiveness of the school. Parents have confidence in the school and feel that their children are well cared for. Pupils feel safe and enjoy coming to school. Standards are above average and many of the youngest pupils achieve well. The school recognises that there remain areas for development including improving standards in the foundation stage, and provision for the pupils' spiritual

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Grade: 2

development.The school is well placed to improve. Managers closely monitor the work of the school and have an accurate picture of its strengths and areas for development. There are sensible systems to monitor the school's performance and to track the pupils' progress. The resulting information is analysed well and is used to inform the deployment of resources and set the priorities for future development.

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What the school should do to improve further

* Consolidate the very good improvements started in the Foundation Stage* Implement the planned improvements in the provision for the pupils' spiritual development.

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Grade: 2

When pupils enter the school their standards are broadly average but some have significantly lower than expected communication and language skills. The pupils make satisfactory progress in the nursery and by the end of Reception many reach standards that are above those expected for five-year-olds, but the school recognises that further development in this area remains a priority. The pupils' achievements in Key Stages 1 and 2 over recent years have been good and this is reflected in results in national tests that, for the most part, have been above the national average and the performance of schools with a similar intake. Most pupils make good progress, including many of those who have low prior attainment or special educational needs, and there is no significant variation in progress between boys and girls when compared to the national picture.

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Grade: 2

Personal development is good. Pupils enjoy school a good deal, as shown by their outstanding behaviour, positive attitudes and regular attendance. They are very enthusiastic about learning and want to come to school, where they feel safe and 2 Inspection Report: Cranmer Primary School, 21 September 2005 to 22 September 2005 appreciated. Pupils get on very well with each other and with the teachers and the other adults in the school. They know that teachers or other pupils will help them if they have a problem. The school provides some very good opportunities for children to learn about the variety of cultures represented in Britain. In October, for example, the school has planned to celebrate Black History Month, and there are regular visits from local poets or musicians. Racial harmony is a major strength of the school. Pupils react very positively to the very good opportunities provided for them to develop their

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Grade: 2

social skills, and clearly know right from wrong. Spiritual development is satisfactory and, although the pupils do have regular opportunities to reflect quietly on their own and others' experiences, these are not yet firmly embedded throughout the curriculum. Pupils feel safe without being fearful, and they understand the importance of living an active and healthy life. Most pupils have good attendance and attendance overall is in line with the national average for primary schools.

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Grade: 2

Teaching overall is good and results in good learning. It is good in Years 1 to 6 and is satisfactory in the early years. Teachers have a good knowledge of the curriculum and know their pupils well. They foster very good relationships resulting in positive attitudes, excellent behaviour and a brisk pace of learning. Pupils readily raise questions and show exceptionally high levels of interest. Lessons are meticulously planned and progress is carefully monitored to ensure that work is matched well to the needs of all pupils including those with SEN and those who speak English as a second language. The school has rightly prioritised much of the additional support to be allocated to the younger pupils and this is having a positive effect on their learning. However, this sometimes results in some older pupils having less support and not being able to sustain the good rate of progress that they make when they are supported. Gifted and

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Grade: 2

talented pupils are extended well and provided with good challenge. In all years good use is made of ICT and interactive whiteboards are used to enhance learning and enjoyment. Pupils' work is assessed regularly by teachers and achievement identified. Pupils are regularly informed of their progress to raise their motivation. In the early years opportunities are being developed to improve use of language and writing.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is broad and serves pupils well. Provision is good in Years 1 - 6 and satisfactory in the early years, although development in this area has been rapid since the recent appointment of the Early Years Co-ordinator. Schemes of work are well designed and constantly under review. The school has had a strong focus on improving the pupils' writing and examples of the pupils work displayed around the school celebrate the different cultures represented in the school community, Provision for pupils with additional learning needs is good, including opportunities for those who 3 Inspection Report: Cranmer Primary School, 21 September 2005 to 22 September 2005 are gifted and talented. ICT is increasingly being consolidated into the curriculum. Wide ranging enrichment activities enhance pupils' enjoyment and regular arrangements are available to support learning outside normal school time.

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Grade: 2

The quality of care provided by the school for its pupils is good. The school is rightly proud of its caring ethos and, during the inspection, adults and children alike spoke of it as a happy and supportive community. All adults in the school show a high level of commitment and competence in promoting the health and safety of the children. All requirements for child protection are fully in place. Every pupil is known and treated as an individual and this contributes strongly to the harmonious and welcoming atmosphere. Records of the specific needs of pupils with special needs, or those for whom English is an additional language, are good and are used to target and prioritise effective support. The school works very well with parents and other agencies to ensure that pupils can achieve their potential.

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Grade: 2

The leadership and management of the school are good. The headteacher, in particular, provides very good leadership. She promotes a caring and supportive ethos and has a strong commitment to improving standards. The headteacher is well supported by her senior management team. The school is taking a lead role in projects to improve the pupils learning both at a local and a national level.The school has an accurate picture of its performance and uses self-evaluation well to identify priorities for improvement. The views of parents and pupils are sought and they feel that they are listened to and that their views and opinions are valued. Quality assurance systems are effective and information from monitoring and analysis of data identify strengths and areas for development and inform strategic planning.The senior leadership is committed to continuing professional development for staff and the teachers spoke

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Grade: 2

positively about being encouraged to develop their skills and responsibilities.The governors conduct their business efficiently and are committed to the school. They hold the school to account for the standards it achieves and are seeking to improve their skills so that they might further develop their role of critical friend.Financial management is sound and the budget is closely linked to the priorities identified in the school's improvement plan. 4 Inspection Report: Cranmer Primary School, 21 September 2005 to 22 September 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. 5 Inspection Report: Cranmer Primary School, 21 September 2005 to 22 September 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 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 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 1 The behaviour of learners NA 3 The attendance of learners NA 1 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 1 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

As you know, we visited your school to check on how well it was doing.Thank you very much for making us feel so welcome, with a special thank you to all of you who spoke to us and told us about your life at school or showed us your work. Everyone that we spoke to said that yours is a good school where everybody feels safe and can enjoy themselves and I am pleased to say that we agree.In lessons you learn about the things that you should and the adults help you to do your best. By the time you leave the school you have had opportunities to try lots of different activities and know the same things as most other children in England. Ms Kenny and the others who are in charge of your school check on how well it is doing and have some good ideas about how it can be made even better.We have encouraged the school to continue the improvements that it is making in the Nursery and Reception and to give you a bit more time during the day to think quietly about your own and other people's experiences.I

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

know that some of you wanted me to draw pictures of the things I most liked about your school and I am sorry that I have not been able to put any in this letter. Perhaps you might like to draw some pictures of what you think is best about your school so that Ms Kenny can show them to anyone else who comes to visit.Thank you again for helping us with our work.

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