Buckingham Primary School

Inspection Report Buckingham Primary School

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102904 Unique Reference Number Richmond Upon Thames LEA LEA 276790 Inspection number 13 June 2006 to 14 June 2006 Inspection dates Sue Vale AI Reporting inspector

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

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Buckingham Road School address Primary Type of school Hampton Community School category TW12 3LT 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 020 8941 2548 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 020 8783 1579 Fax number 373 Number on roll Mrs Heena Sachdeva Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Ms Caroline Boyle Headteacher 20 March 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 276790 13 June 2006 - 3 to 11 14 June 2006 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

Buckingham Primary is a two form entry school in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames with a 52 place nursery and an eight place Unit for children with moderate to severe learning difficulties. There are 373 pupils on roll. It is situated in Hampton very close to the border of the London Borough of Hounslow. The intake is from both Richmond and Hounslow Boroughs. A large number of families are living in social housing. Pupil mobility is around 18 per cent. A quarter of pupils are eligible for free school meals and a similar proportion have learning difficulties or disabilities. Approximately one third of pupils are from minority ethnic groups.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Buckingham Primary School, 13 June 2006 to 14 June 2006

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Grade: 3

The inspection team and the school agree that Buckingham Primary School provides a satisfactory standard of education for its pupils and that it is getting better. It provides satisfactory value for money and has made sound improvement since its last inspection. Pupils' progress and standards over time are satisfactory. In order to raise pupils' achievements the school has undergone recent and rapid changes which are resulting in a marked improvement in many aspects of its work. As one parent comments, 'the many recent changes introduced are improvements and has meant the school has had a marked turnaround.' This is indicative of the way many who are involved with Buckingham feel about the school. Children begin school with standards broadly as expected for their age. Over time satisfactory progress has been made so that pupils leave at the end of Year 6 with broadly average standards. However a more rigorous and evaluative system of

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Grade: 3

monitoring standards and achievement has recently been introduced. This is having a positive impact and, along with improving behaviour and more interesting lessons, it is proving paramount in enabling pupils to make recent rapid progress. As a result of this, teaching is good overall although there are inconsistencies in the way teachers challenge pupils in their learning. The curriculum has recently been enriched by lots of extra curricular activities but there is a lack of continuity between key stages. The quality and standards of the Foundation Stage are satisfactory. The personal development and care and guidance for children are good. Provision for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities and those who are learning English as an additional language is good. Provision for children in the unit is satisfactory. In view of its recent and rapid improvements the school is in a strong position to move forward and has

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Grade: 3

good capacity to continue this momentum.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve children's progress by making teaching consistently challenging for all children, and ensuring clearer continuity between key stages.

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Grade: 3

The school correctly judges achievement and standards as satisfactory. The majority of children enter the Foundation Stage with the experience, skills and knowledge that are expected for their age. They make satisfactory progress and many achieve expected goals by the time they enter Year 1. By the end of Year 2 standards are average overall, though pupils' achievement in reading has fallen over the last two years. By Year 6 standards are broadly average in mathematics and science and just below average in English. The performance of more able pupils remains below the national average in English, mathematics and science. 2 Inspection Report: Buckingham Primary School, 13 June 2006 to 14 June 2006 Over time pupils make satisfactory progress through the school and their achievement is also satisfactory. However pupils' recent progress has been rapid. This is due to a clearer understanding by teachers of what they need to do, more interesting lessons

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Grade: 3

and a more rigorous monitoring and assessment system.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development and well-being are good. They speak warmly of their time in school and feel safe. Most pupils behave well and enjoy their lessons. On this subject a Year 6 boy commented 'Teachers plan lessons with games and activities to make us learn quicker'. Their basic skills equip them suitably for the next stage of their education and they are proud of awards for cycling proficiency and walking to school. Attendance has improved over the last year but remains below average, affected by the periodic absences of vulnerable pupils. In partnership with the educational welfare officer the school is continuing to work towards improving attendance further. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. They are increasingly reflective learners who become confident to express ideas clearly in many situations. Pupils value opportunities for taking responsibility. They volunteer for work as librarians

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Grade: 2

and playground buddies, carrying out their duties with pride. There is very little bullying and pupils help to settle disagreements and to find friends for those who are lonely. Pupils enjoy representing others as members of school council and see their roles as 'making the school the best it can be'. They willingly take on responsibilities such as the organisation of the school disco and fund-raising. They are justly proud of the work they have done in considering the needs of other peoples in the world such as paying for two wells for people in villages in India and Africa, raising funds for the building of a house for victims of the Tsunami and locally giving to the local Shooting Star Hospice.

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Grade: 2

Teaching has recently improved and overall what is seen in lessons is good. Progress over the last term has accelerated since the introduction of a more rigorous and evaluative monitoring system. The majority of lessons are well planned to match the needs, and interests of pupils. The level of challenge is good for some more able pupils, but not consistently so for other groups. Most teachers offer interesting activities which allow pupils to think, discuss, work in teams and explore ideas. For example, in two outstanding lessons which were seen, the teachers' high expectations, clear explanations and a fast moving pace ensured that pupils made rapid progress in their learning. In the smaller number of satisfactory lessons, teachers do not always have sufficiently high enough expectations of what pupils can achieve or tasks are not set to meet the needs of all pupils. 3 Inspection Report: Buckingham Primary School, 13 June 2006 to 14 June 2006

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Grade: 2

Teachers are starting to involve pupils in their own learning and targets have recently been introduced in order to raise attainment and to raise staff awareness of what pupils can achieve. These however are still relatively new and as yet the full impact of them has not had time to be embedded. Pupils with learning difficulties are identified early and effective support is available from the nursery onwards. The teaching assistants and other support staff are highly skilled and provide good guidance to individuals and different groups of pupils such as the more able mathematics group in Year 2. This is a significant contribution to the rapid progress made by these pupils.

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Grade: 3

Inspectors agree that the curriculum is satisfactory although enrichment opportunities are good. The planning of each stage of learning does not track and continue pupils' learning closely enough. Following a recent review good cross-curricular plans are taking shape including further promoting ICT and basic skills across the curriculum. However these are not fully in place yet. ICT has improved since the last inspection. The curriculum for the foundation stage is satisfactory because it is broad and balanced. The nursery play area is insufficiently exciting to stimulate the creativity of learners. The school recognises that the curriculum does not always meet the needs of all pupils; to remedy this it is successfully introducing support programmes and ability groupings to meet the needs of identified pupils. Good extension is provided by special events such as Junior Citizen, Young Scientist, Richmond Singing Festival, and acting

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Grade: 3

workshops such as Dramatic Edge. The school has a lively programme of visits and visitors to make learning interesting and relevant. The range of extra-curricular activities is good, and they are well attended. They include music, dance and sports clubs with more cerebral activities such as chess and Soduku.

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Grade: 2

The care, guidance and support to pupils are good. Pupils enjoy coming to school and are fully included in the life of the school. As one parent commented, 'My child feels safe at Buckingham'. Pupils feel secure and well looked after and know that there is at least one trusted adult to whom they can turn. Vulnerable pupils are well supported and the school works very closely with a wide range of external agencies to ensure that particular pupils' medical, emotional, social and learning needs are met. Pupils are effectively supported in their work by the feedback from teachers and teaching assistants. Staff know their pupils well and recently introduced systems for tracking pupils' progress over time are beginning to have a positive impact. For example, more accurate target setting in Year 6 has significantly improved pupils' progress and performance in English and mathematics. Effective procedures for child protection,

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Grade: 2

risk assessment and health and safety are fully in place. 4 Inspection Report: Buckingham Primary School, 13 June 2006 to 14 June 2006

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory overall, but leadership by the headteacher is good. The headteacher and leadership team have set a clear agenda for improvement and are very knowledgeable and realistic about the strengths and areas for development in the school. There are early signs that recent changes such as more rigorous evaluation in team standards meetings and a clearer overview of raising expectations, are already starting to have a positive impact on raising standards and achievement. Whilst many changes are still in their infancy, and therefore the full impact of them cannot be fully reviewed, all involved work closely as a united team and together they have a clear and enthusiastic vision for the development and improvement of the school. This is firmly focused on raising pupils' attainment and progress. There is a strong commitment towards the inclusion of all learners. In view of its recent and rapid improvements the

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Grade: 3

school is in a strong position to move forward and has good capacity to continue this momentum. The governing body although fairly new have a clear idea of what the school needs to do to improve. They ensure that statutory requirements are met. They are becoming more involved in strategic planning in order to give support to the leadership team and are starting to be proactive in their questioning. The school ensures that money is spent wisely to provide a good range of resources for pupils. There is a strong commitment from all staff to improve their performance and the progress made by all children. 5 Inspection Report: Buckingham Primary School, 13 June 2006 to 14 June 2006 .

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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: Buckingham Primary School, 13 June 2006 to 14 June 2006

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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 3 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 3 How well do learners achieve? NA 3 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 3 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 3 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 3 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 3 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 3 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 3 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

Children Thank you very much for making us feel so welcome when we came to visit your school. This is what we found out. * You work hard and are starting to make quicker progress in your learning.* Your headteacher and all the other staff look after you very well.* Your teachers teach you well and most of your lessons are fun and interesting.* You learn about lots of different things.* You have lots of clubs which you obviously enjoy.* You behave very well, but some of you need to come to school more regularly. In order to make the school even better;* Make sure that all the good things the teachers do happen in every lesson.* Teachers need to check that the curriculum and lessons are matched to all your needs.Thank you for being so friendly. We enjoyed ourselves very much. Best wishes Sue Vale Lead Inspector

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