Fullwood Primary School

Inspection Report Fullwood Primary School

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102833 Unique Reference Number Redbridge Local Authority 276777 Inspection number 30 °31 January 2007 Inspection dates Robert Lovett HMI Reporting inspector

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

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21-24 Burford Close School address Primary Type of school off Hatley Avenue, Barkingside Community School category

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Ilford IG6 1ER 3 °11 Age range of pupils 020 8551 3288 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 020 8551 3966 Fax number 361 Number on roll (school) Mr G Billingham Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs S Bloomfield Headteacher 22 May 2000 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 276777 30 °31 January 2007 3°11 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

Fullwood is a popular, larger than average primary school. In order to accommodate additional pupils there has been a programme of improvements to existing buildings and new development. Pupils are drawn from an area of mixed housing and most economic indicators show its pupils to be broadly average. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is well above the national average. A high and increasing proportion of pupils are at the early stages of learning English, mainly Urdu, Panjabi and Gujerati.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Fullwood Primary School, 30 °31 January 2007

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Grade: 3

Fullwood Primary is a satisfactory school with a number of good features. It has a good capacity to improve. The senior leadership team has a clear focus on raising standards and accelerating the progress pupils make. They are supported in this aim by the governing body and staff, who share a strong commitment to school improvement. Teaching in the Foundation Stage is good. While there is some good teaching and learning in Years 1 to 6 it is satisfactory overall and results in pupils making satisfactory progress. Part of the reason for this is that while the school holds a range of assessments they are not always used well enough in lessons to match work accurately to pupils' needs. Pupils are keen to contribute to lessons, have positive attitudes and enjoy learning. During their time in the school pupils make satisfactory progress. Pupils get off to a good start during their time in the Nursery and Reception classes. They get on well

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Grade: 3

with adults and each other and are able to listen well, respond positively to questions and select and use resources independently. They enter the Nursery with levels of attainment which are below average, many speaking a first language other than English. Pupils make good progress in the Foundation Stage, particularly in their language and communication skills. In Years 1 and 2 pupils make satisfactory progress. While standards are average overall pupils do very well in developing their writing and standards in this area have been good for some years. Pupils make satisfactory progress in Years 3 to 6 although they do not do as well in mathematics as they should. The school provides a sound curriculum which is enhanced by a wide range of extra curricular clubs and activities. Music is a real strength of the school with a range of instrumental tuition available. Singing is also good and is much enjoyed by the pupils.

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Grade: 3

While the school has appropriate provision for information and communication technology (ICT) it is not used enough to support learning across the curriculum. The school works well with outside agencies and partners in the community to promote the well-being of pupils. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils' understanding of the benefits of a healthy lifestyle is outstanding. Leadership and management are satisfactory. The school has taken robust action to arrest the recent decline in pupils' achievement and while early indications are positive, it is too soon to be able to judge the impact of this.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure that pupils make more progress in mathematics. • Use assessment more effectively so that work is more consistently matched to the needs of all pupils. • Improve the use of ICT to support learning across the curriculum. 2 Inspection Report: Fullwood Primary School, 30 °31 January 2007

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Grade: 3

Pupils enter the Nursery with standards which are below that expected for their age. They make good progress in the Foundation Stage and join Year 1 with standards which are average. Pupils make satisfactory progress in Key Stage 1 so that by the time they leave Year 2 standards are average overall. Standards in writing are good because teachers have a good focus on helping pupils understand how to write in full sentences and improve their language and communication skills. In the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 there is a particular focus on the communication skills of those pupils in the early stages of learning English and as a result they make good progress. In the 2006 national assessments standards in mathematics fell and were below average. Over the last three years pupils in Key Stage 2 have made broadly average progress although they did less well in 2006 than in the previous two years. Standards were

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Grade: 3

lowest in mathematics. Over time standards have been highest in English and this remained the case in 2006. The school has recently introduced rigorous new systems to monitor and accelerate pupils' progress but it is too early to see the impact of this on standards. Pupils with learning difficulties make satisfactory progress because they receive appropriate support in the classroom and from the special educational needs co-ordinator. Pupils who speak a first language other than English also make satisfactory progress because learning is appropriately matched to their individual needs.

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Grade: 2

Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. As one parent said, 'The school has promoted a good community spirit', another stated, 'My child is in safe hands'. The pupils enjoy school and are developing positive attitudes towards their learning. Behaviour and relationships are good. Pupils get on well with each other and play together well. In the playgrounds they play a range of supervised team games and use equipment safely. Because of consistent and determined intervention the school has significantly improved attendance in the Autumn Term. The pupils have worked hard to achieve the healthy schools award and as a result are very knowledgeable about how to keep healthy. The work of the pupils' healthy schools task group is outstanding. They make a significant contribution to raising the importance of health lifestyles through their regular newsletters to parents and their positive contribution to school life. Through their work on the school council, as

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Grade: 2

playground monitors and their participation in school events, pupils make a good contribution to the school community. 3 Inspection Report: Fullwood Primary School, 30 °31 January 2007

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory. All teaching seen was at least satisfactory and much was good but the quality of teaching is uneven and results in pupils making satisfactory progress. The leadership team is determined to raise the standard of all teaching to at least good and is well placed to do so. For example, they have put in place a rigorous programme of joint lesson observations with key subject leaders. Pupils in all classes are eager to contribute to lessons and most enjoy learning. They listen to adults and each other with care and respect. Pupils have positive attitudes to their work and behaviour is good. While the use of assessment information is improving, in some lessons work is not matched sufficiently well to what pupils can do so that work is too easy or difficult. In these lessons pupils do not make as much progress as they should. Some of the marking of pupils' work is very good and is useful

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Grade: 3

in telling pupils how well they are doing and how to improve their work further, but this is not consistent across the school.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum in the Foundation Stage is good. It is exciting, creative and covers a wide range of topics. There is a good balance of both indoor and outdoor activities to support the children's learning. In the rest of the school, the curriculum is satisfactory. The school is developing the curriculum further in Years 1 to 6 in order to make better links between different subjects. This is already showing some success. Year 3 and 4 pupils, for example, studied one of Turner's landscape paintings and used this as a focus to compose music. The school manages the learning for the mixed-age classes well by rotating programmes of work and by ability setting in English and mathematics across two age groups. There is a satisfactory balance to the work undertaken but the school recognises the need to strengthen opportunities to develop pupils' skills in art. While there are good resources for ICT, they are not used enough to support learning across the curriculum.

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Grade: 3

Music is a strong feature with opportunities for pupils to learn an instrument and join the choir. The good number of extra-curricular activities, especially in music and sport, contribute well to pupils' enjoyment of school. The good provision for pupils' personal and social education assists their understanding of safe and healthy living. Visits to places of educational interest, including a residential visit, support the curriculum well. Pupils with English as an additional language or with learning difficulties are given appropriate support so that they make similar rates of progress as other pupils. 4 Inspection Report: Fullwood Primary School, 30 °31 January 2007

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good. Good child protection arrangements, risk assessments and regular health and safety checks support pupils' safety and well-being effectively. There are clear procedures for behaviour management which enhance pupils' personal and emotional development. Staff are very caring and approachable and pupils feel confident to discuss any issues with them. The school has good links with outside agencies and these are used effectively to help pupils with learning difficulties and disabilites. The school works well with parents and contacts them at an early stage if they are concerned about their child's progress. Satisfactory systems are in place to track pupils' progress and these are being developed further. The school keeps a good bank of evidence to support their judgements of pupils' levels of attainment. However, this information is not used sufficiently well to match work to what pupils need to learn.

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Grade: 3

The headteacher provides good leadership and is well supported by the deputy headteacher. Some important aspects of subject leadership are still developing so that this clarity of vision and purpose is not yet shared by all. For example, not all subject leaders are clear about how best to use performance data to improve teaching and learning so that pupils make more progress. Leadership and management of the Foundation Stage is good and has resulted in effective teamwork among staff and an appropriate curriculum for the youngest children. Governance is good. Governors provide committed and well informed leadership. They have made a great effort to raise their profile with parents but have met with limited success. The school consults with the wider community well. All staff, pupils and parents are regularly asked their views and these are influential in determining the school's priorities. For example, the development of the school's creative curriculum is in part

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Grade: 3

a response to the views of pupils. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school and feel their children are well supported and cared for. The school knows its strengths and weaknesses and monitors standards carefully. It has produced a good plan to raise achievement with a clear focus on improving standards but it is too early to see the impact of this. 5 Inspection Report: Fullwood Primary School, 30 °31 January 2007 .

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Grade: 3

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Fullwood Primary School, 30 °31 January 2007

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Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

3 How well do learners achieve? 3 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 3 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The behaviour of learners 3 The attendance of learners 2 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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and interests of learners?

2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 7 Inspection Report: Fullwood Primary School, 30 °31 January 2007

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 8 Inspection Report: Fullwood Primary School, 30 °31 January 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

I'd like to begin by thanking you for making us so welcome on our recent visit to your school. The things you told us helped us get to know your school better. Yours is a satisfactory school where you are safe and well cared for. You behave well, are polite and get on well with each other and the adults who work in the school. You told us you enjoy school and value the many clubs and sports provided. You also said you learn a lot on the visits you make. The way you understand about how to lead healthy lives and the work you have done on this is outstanding. We would also like to say well done for improving your attendance last term. We are very impressed with your singing and we thought that music was a real strength of the school. Teachers work hard to help you learn and you generally make the progress we would expect. The school wants you to do even better and we have told them about some things they could

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

do to help you learn more. You told us you sometimes find work too easy or too hard and we have asked teachers to use what they know about you to make sure the work you are set is just right. You can help by telling your teachers whether the work is right for you. Many of you are not doing as well in mathematics as you should and we have asked the school to help you to do better. We also think you do not always get to use the computers and other equipment as much you could. The school is looking at ways to use them in lots of areas of learning. Your headteacher and everyone who works in the school is keen that you all do as well as possible. There are plans in place to make sure the school becomes an even better place to live and learn. You can help ensure you learn as much as possible by missing as little school as possible and continuing to work hard. Yours sincerely Robert LovettHer Majesty's Inspector of Schools(on behalf of all the inspectors)

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

9 Inspection Report: Fullwood Primary School, 30 °31 January 2007

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