Odessa Infant School

102735 Unique Reference Number Newham LEA LEA 276761 Inspection number 16 November 2005 to 17 November 2005 Inspection dates Andrew Howe AI Reporting inspector

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

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Wellington Road School address Infant Type of school London Community School category E7 9BY 3 to 7 Age range of pupils 020 8534 7967 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 020 8555 3235 Fax number 303 Number on roll Mr Emanuel Mkhosi Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Ms A Hurfurt Headteacher 15 January 2001 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 276761 16 November 2005 - 3 to 7 17 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 additional inspectors.

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Description of the school

Odessa Infant School is a larger than average school of this type with a nursery in a deprived area of east London. The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is well above average. The majority of pupils come from various minority ethnic backgrounds, in particular Bangladeshi and Black African. The proportion of pupils whose home language is not English is high and the majority is at an early stage of learning English. The most common languages spoken include Bengali, Somali and Urdu. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties is below average. The school is generously staffed and staff mobility is low. There have been recent building and grounds improvements.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Odessa Infant School, 16 November 2005 to 17 November 2005

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Grade: 2

The school rates itself as good and inspectors agree. Consistently effective, lively teaching and an active, enjoyable curriculum help pupils to make good progress. Staff take good care of pupils and ensure they are all valued and included. They respond with good behaviour and very positive attitudes towards learning. Pupils achieve well because the school's leadership has developed positive, professional practice that ensures teaching is good. Support staff and teachers work well as a team and their consistent expectations provide a secure framework for learning.However, the monitoring of teaching and pupils' performance is not formalised, so that, although the school's self evaluation is accurate, it is not rigorous enough to drive standards up further. There are no formal methods for gathering the views of parents and pupils. There has been sound improvement since the last inspection, particularly with respect

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Grade: 2

to provision in the Foundation Stage, which is consistently good and which enables the youngest children to achieve well. However, attendance remains below average, despite the school's efforts. Inspectors judge that leadership and management and the capacity to improve are sound. The school provides good value for money. It is generously staffed and this makes a significant contribution to the good quality of care and pupils' progress.

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What the school should do to improve further

* Formalise the monitoring of standards and provision by all senior staff and governors in order to improve school self evaluation* Ensure that pupils, parents and governors have formal opportunities for a greater say in school improvement* Take more determined action to improve pupil attendance, including exploring the best practice in other schools.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' achievement is good. Children's attainment on entry to the nursery is well below that normally expected because of their limited English language and social development. They go on to achieve well in the Foundation Stage, developing increasingly competent speaking and listening skills and more mature personal and social behaviour. By the end of reception, their attainment is in line with the expected goals for mathematics, and communication, language and literacy skills and exceeds them for personal, social and emotional development. Pupils achieve well in Years 1 and 2 and reach broadly average standards by the end of Year 2. This is because the high ratio of stable staffing to children ensures pupils get a great deal of attention. Very good relationships promote pupils' confidence and positive attitudes to learning, so pupils do well and enjoy their learning. Pupils whose first language is not English

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Grade: 2

make good progress because teachers continually focus on language development. Pupils with higher ability achieve their potential because the work is matched well to their needs. Pupils with learning difficulties achieve well because support is carefully 2 Inspection Report: Odessa Infant School, 16 November 2005 to 17 November 2005 matched to their needs. There is no significant variation in the standards attained by different minority ethnic groups.

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Grade: 2

The personal development and well-being of pupils are good. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good overall. Pupils form positive relationships with each other and with adults in the school. Because of the good coverage of the beliefs and customs of different cultures, both in assemblies and in lessons, pupils grow in respect and mutual understanding. Pupils enjoy learning and demonstrate excellent attitudes to their schooling. However, attendance is unsatisfactory because too many parents remove their children for holidays during term time. Absence has remained stubbornly above the national average, despite the sympathetic efforts of the school to bring about improvement over recent years. Pupils show a good understanding of the importance of leading a healthy life and keeping safe. They speak confidently of what they have learnt about diet and exercise in lessons, as one pupil said, 'so that

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Grade: 2

we do not become couch potatoes'. Pupils develop a sense of responsibility for their community through the jobs they are given in class and around the school. They raise funds for local charities and initiated a collection for the Pakistan earthquake relief fund. Progress made in acquiring basic skills and the familiarity they develop in using information communication technology (ICT) prepares pupils well for their future social and economic well-being.

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Grade: 2

Teaching is consistently good. Pupils enjoy their learning and behave well, because teachers have clear expectations of conduct and lessons are lively and well planned. Because learning frequently involves games and the use of practical resources, pupils become really involved in what they are doing. Teachers and assistants concentrate on developing pupils' oral language in all lessons. In one mathematics lesson, for instance, the support assistant focused on mathematical terms associated with subtraction, such as difference, while demonstrating with mathematical equipment. She used adept questioning so that pupils were able to explain the concept for themselves. This approach is commonly used across the school and is particularly helpful for the many pupils whose first language is not English. Teachers ensure these pupils are successfully included in all lessons. Teaching in the Foundation Stage is

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Grade: 2

good because staff have very clear objectives for all activities. Detailed individual assessments ensure that teachers know pupils very well and can plan for the next stage in their learning. However, the tracking of pupils' achievement is not recorded sufficiently formally to ensure teachers can monitor it over time. 3 Inspection Report: Odessa Infant School, 16 November 2005 to 17 November 2005

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Grade: 2

The school provides a good curriculum for its pupils. Children in the Foundation Stage are well provided for: good opportunities for learning through play are planned both indoors and outside. Throughout the school, the good emphasis on practical work and speaking and listening helps pupils to make good progress in acquiring English vocabulary and spoken grammar. The curriculum is well balanced with good provision for science, which leads to above average standards at the end of Year 2. Pupils' own cultural heritage is represented well in art, religious education and history. Good use is made of visits to extend pupils' experiences of the world. Visitors, such as authors, are used effectively to support learning. There is a good emphasis on personal, social and health education so that pupils develop positive attitudes towards diet and exercise. A parent commented 'my son comes home and tells me what I should and shouldn't

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Grade: 2

eat, all the time'. Building works have interrupted extra-curricular activities temporarily, but there are plans to reinstate various clubs.

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Grade: 2

The quality of care, guidance and support for pupils is good. All staff take good care of pupils' particular needs and make effective use of specialist support from outside agencies where appropriate, such as for hearing impairment or severe physical difficulty. Child protection procedures are rigorous and health and safety arrangements systematic. Support staff are well organised and their time used well. They are included in meetings to decide on individual education plans for pupils with learning difficulties so that the support given matches closely the targets set for improvement. Very good quality support is given to vulnerable children, for instance in the regular 'rock and roll' sessions provided by support assistants that foster social and physical skills. Individual day to day assessment is detailed and helps teachers plan the next stage in pupils' learning. Teachers set pupils useful individual targets in writing, but this practice does not

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Grade: 3

The school rates leadership and management as good, but inspection evidence indicates that it is satisfactory, with significant strengths. In particular, the headteacher's vision and example have enabled a strong staff team to meet all pupils' needs effectively and ensure they enjoy their education. Good professional development and constant dialogue about teaching and learning lie at the heart of the school's success. Senior staff have an accurate view of the school's strengths and weaknesses, but the monitoring of teaching is largely informal. Together with the patchy tracking of pupil progress, this means that teachers do not consistently get the feedback that would enable them to raise standards further.The school is open to the views of parents, governors and pupils and the overwhelming majority of parents are supportive and 4 Inspection Report: Odessa Infant School, 16 November 2005 to 17 November 2005

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Grade: 3

appreciative. Governors describe the headteacher's approach as 'transparent'. However, school self evaluation is limited because these groups are not formally consulted. There is a useful school improvement plan but the process of drawing it up and evaluating its success does not involve governors or parents.The school has made sound progress with the issues identified at the previous inspection. The provision of good quality outdoor play experience for children in the Foundation Stage has improved. Governors now fulfil all statutory requirements and are developing their ability to question and challenge the school's performance. However, pupils' attendance remains a significant concern. The school has a sound capacity to improve further. 5 Inspection Report: Odessa Infant School, 16 November 2005 to 17 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: Odessa Infant School, 16 November 2005 to 17 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 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 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 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 3 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 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 NA 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 helping us when we visited a little while ago. You told us a lot about Odessa Infant School. We enjoyed our time with you, and now it is time to let you know what we think about the school. Odessa Infant School is a very caring place. There is always an adult you can go to if you have a problem. Teachers and helpers take good care of you. Most children make good progress. Children who find learning hard, or who speak a language other than English at home, also do well, because teachers and helpers make sure there are lots of chances to speak and listen in lessons. Most of the lessons we saw were good. You certainly enjoyed them. You work hard, because teachers ask a lot of you, and lessons are interesting. Most children behave well and want to learn. Well done. You get plenty of help with your work because there are a lot of helpers as well as teachers. There are some problems we need to mention to you, though. Too often children are absent

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

from school for unacceptable reasons, such as holidays taken in term time. We are asking the staff and governors to try to put this right, because children miss important work, which usually cannot be repeated.We also think that the headteacher and governors could check up on what you are learning more often and make sure that teachers are doing the best that they can all the time. They could also find more ways to listen to your ideas and those of your parents. That way you can all work together to make the school even better. Odessa is a good school. If you continue to work as hard, and behave as well as you do now, it could become even better.

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