Chapel End Infant School and Early Years Centre

Inspection Report Chapel End Infants' School

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103052 Unique Reference Number Waltham Forest LEA LEA 276821 Inspection number 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005 Inspection dates Alan Frith AI Reporting inspector

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

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Beresford Road School address Infant Type of school Walthamstow Community School category London E17 4LH 3 to 7 Age range of pupils 02085271388 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 02085271395 Fax number 283 Number on roll Mrs Debi Swinhoe Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs B Moyhing Headteacher 13 November 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 276821 2 November 2005 - 3 to 7 3 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, 2 of whom attended for 2 days, the other for 1 day.

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Description of the school

The school serves families from a variety of social and educational backgrounds. The majority of pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds. The largest group, just over one in five, is White British. Pakistani and other Asian groups are represented in fairly large numbers and there is a significant proportion of Black Caribbean and Black African families. Nearly half the pupils speak a language other than English, with Urdu the most widely known, and most also have a good knowledge of English. Nearly a third of the pupils are known to be eligible for free school meals, which is much higher than average. The proportion with learning difficulties is higher than average, but only a very small number have a statement of special educational need. The level of attendance is marginally below the national average and unauthorised absence is very low. The Foundation Stage is split across two nearby sites, with the nursery located at the Early

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Chapel End Infants' School, 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005

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Grade: 2

Inspection confirms the view of the leadership team that this is a good school. Most aspects of its work are good and the partnerships it has established with other organisations are outstanding. The leadership team and governors have identified achievement and teaching as less good, and the inspection team agrees that these are satisfactory. The leadership team has a good knowledge of the school's strengths and weaknesses, and has correctly identified underachievement amongst more able boys. Most pupils, including those with learning difficulties and those who speak English as an additional language, achieve well.Provision in the Foundation Stage is good. The curriculum covers the six areas of learning well and there are excellent opportunities for outdoor play. The school has dealt successfully with all issues relating to the Foundation Stage which were raised in the last inspection. Continuity of provision

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Grade: 2

from the Early Years Centre, through the nursery and reception classes, is now good. The leadership team has also improved attendance since the last inspection and their capacity to make further improvement is good. The school provides good value for money.The school has introduced effective measures to track pupils' progress in order to improve the standards they reach and is implementing them effectively.

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What the school should do to improve further

* Improve teaching so that more able pupils achieve as well as they should.* Continue to implement the new measures for tracking pupils' progress so that action can be taken whenever any individual or group of pupils is identified as underachieving.

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Grade: 2

Inspectors agreed with the school that achievement and standards overall were good. The results of the national tests for seven year olds have been consistently at or just below the national average, but they dipped in 2003. By the end of Year 2 in 2004, standards were slightly below average in all areas except writing, which was a little lower. The improvement continued in 2005, but writing remained slightly weaker than the other skills.Children make a good start in the reception classes, building on the progress many of them make in the Early Years Centre. Good teaching at this stage helps the great majority to achieve well, particularly in their personal, social and emotional development.In Years 1 and 2, pupils progress well with their speaking and listening skills and most are confident in expressing their views including to visitors. In general, they make better progress in reading and mathematics than in writing. Able

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Grade: 2

boys in particular do not achieve well in writing, mainly because they do not receive enough opportunities to write to a consistently high standard or at length. Pupils with learning difficulties, including those with disabilities, achieve well because the school meets their needs well and with great sensitivity. Those who speak English as an additional language make good progress as a result of the good support the school provides. 2 Inspection Report: Chapel End Infants' School, 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005

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Grade: 2

The personal development and well-being of all groups are good. They all enjoy coming to school, arriving in good spirits, with even the youngest showing independence from their parents. They participate in lessons and out of school activities keenly and with interest. There are particular strengths in moral and social development. Pupils have a clear notion of right and wrong and look after each other well in school. Spiritual development is satisfactory and cultural development is good. Attendance is marginally below the national average, but it has improved considerably because of the school's effective work to discourage holidays during term time.Behaviour is good. Pupils work in a secure and encouraging atmosphere. The school deals effectively and swiftly with any challenging or anti-social behaviour. Pupils show social responsibility, reaching out to the community in a variety of ways which develop skills they will need in the

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Grade: 2

future. Overall, their development of workplace skills is satisfactory, reflecting the progress they make with basic skills. They learn well the importance of a healthy lifestyle through physical exercise and healthy nourishment, including the fresh fruit at morning break, good food at lunchtime and the availability of drinking water.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. They are good in the Foundation Stage because the teachers use their knowledge about the needs of young children effectively. They give them choices and lively activities so that they develop well as independent learners and enjoy lessons.The quality of teaching and learning in the rest of the school is satisfactory. Reading is well taught and teachers ensure that pupils develop a good level of competence in information and communications technology. Teaching in mathematics and writing have many good elements. Effective challenge is provided for most groups but for some more able boys the work set is not well enough matched to their abilities. Teachers have recently begun to make systematic use of assessment to track pupil's progress in order to improve the progress of all groups of pupils effectively. Marking is good and gives good guidance and encouragement.Teachers

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Grade: 2

generally use time in lessons well and most manage pupils well. Pupils are attentive, work hard and apply themselves to tasks. Behaviour is good and this has a positive effect on how pupils learn. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities are carefully identified. These pupils, and those who speak English as an additional language, are effectively supported both in small group work and in full classes.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. It meets the needs of the learners well because teachers plan appropriate coverage of all subjects and meet the needs of pupils with learning 3 Inspection Report: Chapel End Infants' School, 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005 difficulties well. All pupils learn about healthy lifestyles and the school is aiming to achieve the Healthy Schools Award. The good variety of visits and themed weeks such as Book Week add to pupils' enjoyment and are designed to provide opportunities for them all to achieve. The school has rightly identified a need to develop more planned curricular links that enable pupils to apply skills across a broad range of subjects.There is a good range of extra-curricular activities including keep fit and football. Visits to places of interest enrich pupils' social and cultural experiences, as do special events, such as the multilingual and Black History weeks, and visitors to the school, including

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Grade: 2

The school provides good care, guidance and support. Teachers respond well to children's needs. They are unfailingly supportive and encouraging. They rightly attach very high priority to the building of children's self esteem.The school provides well for children's health and safety. Arrangements for child protection are good and all adults are fully aware of them. The school is very conscious of its responsibility not only to keep children safe, but also to teach them how to stay safe themselves. This is evident from the school's work in the 'wild wood' area at the Early Years Centre and in many other features, including the careful planning of school trips.The school fulfils its vision to support the community very well. It has built up good links with parents, other institutions and with the community in general. The Early Years Centre provides important services for the community, including help with challenging issues, such as

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Grade: 2

The leadership and management of the school are good. The head teacher sets a clear direction for the work of the Early Years Centre and the school. Ably supported by the senior team, she promotes very good teamwork. Consequently they have all worked tirelessly together to create a learning environment in which all children and staff feel valued and cared for. They all benefit from attractive, well planned purpose-built accommodation, and displays are excellent. The leadership team deploys resources effectively and efficiently to ensure that all the children are well looked after from the day they start to the day they leave Year 2. Teachers are now using assessment information more systematically and monitoring pupils' well.Governors support the school strongly and are well aware of its strengths. They have not in the past been able to develop a clear enough view of the achievement of different groups of pupils.

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Grade: 2

However, their understanding of pupils' achievement is improving because of recent changes in the assessment system. It is clear from the improvements since the last inspection and from current developments that the school has good capacity to improve. 4 Inspection Report: Chapel End Infants' School, 2 November 2005 to 3 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. 5 Inspection Report: Chapel End Infants' School, 2 November 2005 to 3 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 1 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 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 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 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 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 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 NA 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 giving us such a lively and warm welcome when we visited your school recently. You told us how much you like coming to school and we saw for ourselves the many good things that make it so enjoyable for you. All the adults who work at the school take good care of you and your teachers provide a good variety of activities. The classrooms and corridors are colourful and well equipped and you have plenty of opportunity to learn outside as well.We also liked the good team work in the school and the fact that you all look after each other and behave well. It will be important for you all to remember how valuable this is, even after you leave. There are two things we have asked the school to do in order to improve even more. Sometimes those of you who can learn more quickly than the others do not move on fast enough. We have asked teachers to provide suitable activities in lessons so you make better progress. We have

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

also asked the school to keep track of the progress of all the children so they can take action if any group of children is falling behind.

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