Mission Grove Primary School

Inspection Report Mission Grove Primary School

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103077 Unique Reference Number Waltham Forest LEA LEA 276833 Inspection number 10 October 2005 to 11 October 2005 Inspection dates Andrew Marfleet AI Reporting inspector

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

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Buxton Road School address Primary Type of school Walthamstow Community School category London E17 7EJ 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 02085203487 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 02085203487 Fax number 467 Number on roll Mr Bill Ravenscroft Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Ludiya Besisira Headteacher 16 October 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 276833 10 October 2005 - 3 to 11 11 October 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

Mission Grove is a multi-ethnic inner city mixed primary school with 467 children on roll, which is much larger than average. It is not located in an affluent area. The percentage of children from overcrowded homes is very high. The large majority are from minority ethnic groups and 46% are of Pakistani background. The number receiving free school meals is well above average. Sixty-nine percent of children have a first language other than English, indeed 55% enter school with little or no English at all. The mobility of children on roll is high and is increasing.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Mission Grove Primary School, 10 October 2005 to 11 October 2005

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Grade: 1

The inspectors judge this school to be outstanding. The school's own evaluation is more modest, although it is clear from their self-evaluation that they know themselves well. Standards on entry are exceptionally low, with many children speaking little or no English, but by the time they leave the school at the end of Year 6, standards are broadly in line with the national average. This represents outstanding progress.The personal development of pupils is also impressive: the school produces well socialised young people who relate to adults and each other in a mature way and across racial and religious boundaries. The care provided by the school, the curriculum, and the quality of teaching and learning are all outstanding.These in turn can be traced back to the excellent leadership that is now in place. Areas that were in need of improvement at the time of the last inspection, such as behaviour, have all been addressed, new

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Grade: 1

management structures have been put in place and more effective approaches to teaching and learning have resulted in the raised achievement. Not surprisingly, parents think very highly of the school. Some of the changes have been fairly recent, and the school recognise the things that still need to be done: it is clear that this is a school with a very good capacity to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

* Continue to develop key skills, especially information and communication technology (ICT), across the curriculum.* Encourage the wider community and parents in particular, to participate more actively in the learning of pupils.

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Grade: 1

The school judges its achievement to be good, but it is better than this. By the end of Year 6, pupils have made outstanding progress from when they join the school, from the nursery year onwards. Standards and achievement were judged to be in need of some improvement at the time of the last inspection. Significant improvement has been made. Current attainment on entry, in the foundation stage, is exceptionally low, and the many pupils who join the school later are almost all behind their peers in their learning. Due to the extremely low attainment of pupils on entry to the school, standards by the end of Year 2 are still very low and thus do not yet reach the national average. The progress is more evident by the end of Year 6 and, as a result, standards in Year 6 are in line with the national average in English, mathematics and science. Boys achieve slightly higher standards than girls.Children who have special educational

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Grade: 1

needs make exceptionally good progress. Pupils for whom English is an additional language make rapid and significant progress towards fluency in the language. No groups underachieve. 2 Inspection Report: Mission Grove Primary School, 10 October 2005 to 11 October 2005

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Grade: 1

Pupils' personal development is outstanding. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent. Pupils are friendly and show respect to each other and to all staff, abiding by the school motto of Respect yourself. Respect others. The attitudes and behaviour pupils is very good, overall. There were no exclusions last year. The school is a vibrant multi-ethnic community where pupils learn about a diverse range of cultures and beliefs.Pupils thoroughly enjoy school life. They feel extremely safe in the school, which promotes racial harmony and equality; it is free from bullying. They know that there are adults in school in whom they can confide when they have personal problems. Pupils' views are respected and these have influenced playground rules and the school environment. Strategies to promote good attendance have been very effective and have led to significant recent improvement. Attendance is now

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Grade: 1

broadly average.The school promotes healthy lifestyles. The curriculum offers two hours of physical education each week and pupils participate in a range of sporting clubs. The school travel plan equips pupils to travel to school safely.Pupils make excellent contributions to the community through fund raising and involvement in local projects, such as the Walthamstow Carnival and the Marshes Gateway installation. They make good progress in key skills, which will eventually help them in later life.

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Grade: 1

Teaching and learning are, overall, outstanding. The progress pupils make is to a large extent the result of very good teaching. Indeed, some outstanding lessons were seen during the inspection. Teachers plan very well and use resources appropriately, although a few teachers still do not have enough confidence in using ICT.The effectiveness of the teaching is enhanced by the knowledge teachers have of their pupils. From the moment they arrive in the school, pupils are assessed and their progress tracked extremely thoroughly. This enables teachers to group pupils and set them challenging tasks throughout their time here.Very effective use is made of teaching assistants and other support staff. They are well trained, well briefed and work confidently in a range of styles and contexts. The support given to those with special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language is impressive, and this contributes

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Grade: 1

very well to their achievement. The school is a Leading School for the provision of English as an additional language.For many pupils, parents only play a limited part in the learning process and the school recognises the need to involve them more.

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Grade: 1

The curriculum is also outstanding. It is very well planned, reflecting the diverse cultural and ethnic background of pupils, and enables all pupils to achieve extremely well. The 3 Inspection Report: Mission Grove Primary School, 10 October 2005 to 11 October 2005 improvement made in the science curriculum since the last inspection has had a huge impact on raising standards and ensuring that pupils make excellent progress. The school is proud of its rich and varied ethnicity, and celebrates a wide range of religious festivals.The support for pupils with special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language is excellent. However, the school rightly identifies the need to improve the ways that ICT skills are developed and used across the curriculum.The curriculum is extremely well supplemented by extra curricular activities that cater for a wide range of interests including sport, dance, drama and environmental

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Grade: 1

activities. Exchange visits through the Comenius project with schools in Germany, Italy and Romania, for instance, add a European dimension to the already rich cultural environment.

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Grade: 1

The school judges its care, guidance and support to be outstanding. This is confirmed by the inspection. The excellent support for pupils begins before they join the school, for example an Induction Day ensures that pupil's backgrounds are understood, their needs are identified early, and a partnership can begin between home and school.The level and quality of support the vulnerable child receives is a striking feature of the school. The provision goes further than what might be expected and this is very carefully selected to meet individual needs, especially that for pupils with special educational needs and with English as an additional language.Child protection procedures are in place and well understood by staff. Children feel safe at school. The school works well with a wide range of external agencies to ensure that pupils and their families are well supported.

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Grade: 1

The headteacher has had a major impact on this school. Issues raised by the previous inspection report have been addressed very thoroughly, including standards of behaviour and weaknesses in the curriculum. Her reorganisation of the senior leadership team is already having a significant impact. The two assistant heads are now playing a crucial role in focusing developments in pastoral care and in the curriculum. They help ensure that there is a very effective system of monitoring and evaluation. The school is now able to make sound judgements about the effectiveness of its teaching and learning and about the progress pupils make.The outstanding leadership and management are shown not only in the way leaders collect and use data: they have also created an ethos in which there is an expectation of high achievement and strong personal development. Pupils not only develop very well personally, but they are

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Grade: 1

prepared extremely well for life beyond this school. The rising standards and the outstanding achievement are a testimony to this. This school is now a happy, thriving community.The school is well supported by an effective governing body, who are increasing in their knowledge of the school and in their capacity to challenge. There are still some vacancies on the governing body and not all governors are able to play 4 Inspection Report: Mission Grove Primary School, 10 October 2005 to 11 October 2005 a fully active role, but a core of very good governors, including the new chair and vice-chair, provides the necessary support. 5 Inspection Report: Mission Grove Primary School, 10 October 2005 to 11 October 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: Mission Grove Primary School, 10 October 2005 to 11 October 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 1 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 1 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 1 How well do learners achieve? NA 3 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 1 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 1 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 1 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 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 1 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 1 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 1 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 1 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 1 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

I want to thank you for the friendly welcome you gave us when we visited your school. We enjoyed talking to you and seeing your work. We also enjoyed talking to your teachers and watching many things that you do. We think you have a wonderful school. What we liked most about your school* Everyone is so happy and friendly, and pupils get on well with others, whatever their language or background.* You all feel safe and secure at school, and are learning to be fit and healthy.* Although many of you do not speak much English when you arrive, by the time you leave, you are doing just as well in your subjects as pupils in other schools in England.* You do well at school because you have very good teachers.* Anyone who needs extra help gets it.* The headteacher and her assistants are running the school extremely well.* Your parents are very happy with the school. What we have asked your school to do now* Help you to build up even better skills - in using

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

language and numbers, and especially computer skills, in all your subjects.* Encourage your parents, and other people outside the school, to help you learn more.

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