Parkside Primary School

Inspection Report Wellington Primary School

p.1

103081 Unique Reference Number Waltham Forest Local Authority 276836 Inspection number 5 °6 December 2006 Inspection dates Mike Thompson Reporting inspector

p.1

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

p.1

21 Wellington Avenue School address Primary Type of school Chingford Community School category London E4 6RE 3 °11 Age range of pupils 02085594278 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 02085243099 Fax number 291 Number on roll (school) Mrs Cathy Dwyer Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Ms Lisa Cousins (Acting) Headteacher 4 December 2000 Date of previous school inspection

p.1

Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 276836 5 °6 December 2006 3°11 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.1

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three Additional Inspectors.

p.3

Description of the school

Wellington Primary serves a culturally diverse area in the north east of London. Almost two-thirds of the pupils are from minority ethnic groups, but only a small proportion is in the early stages of learning English. Over the past few years there has been a high turnover of teaching staff. The headteacher left in October 2006, and the deputy headteacher had been in post as acting head for five weeks before the inspection. The number on roll has been falling for a number of years and is set to fall further as the school moves from two to one form entry.

p.3

Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Wellington Primary School, 5 °6 December 2006

p.3

Grade: 3

Wellington Primary provides its pupils with a satisfactory education. The quality of teaching and learning, the curriculum, and the care, support and guidance provided for pupils are all satisfactory. As a result, pupils achieve satisfactorily and make steady progress as they move through the school. Children are given a sound start to their education and make satisfactory progress in the Nursery and Reception classes. For the past two years, children have joined the school in the Nursery class, rather than in Reception. When they start school, their levels of skills, knowledge and understanding are generally lower than those expected of three year-olds. Most have poor knowledge and understanding of the world around them and many have limited communication skills in English. The positive impact of the extra year in school in the Nursery is evident in their attainment by the time they transfer from Reception to Year 1. Currently, children are close to reaching most of

p.4

Grade: 3

the goals expected at this point. However, in previous years, attainment at the end of Reception was well below average. By the end of Years 2 and 6, standards are well below average. However, the broadly average levels of attainment now evident in Reception and Year 1 show that, in future years, standards are set to rise at the end of Year 2. The leadership and management of the school are satisfactory. The acting headteacher has provided stability during a period of considerable change. Within a very short period of time she has put in place a number of measures designed to raise standards, but the impact of these is unlikely to be seen for some months. As a result of the high level of staff turnover, most teachers are relatively inexperienced in the leading of their areas of responsibility. In particular, they lack skills in using assessment data to help guide their actions. All staff help to create the welcoming environment in which

p.4

Grade: 3

pupils feel safe, well cared for and valued. For this reason, most pupils enjoy being at school. One pupil summed this up well when saying, 'I like it here, everyone is really friendly.' The quality of teaching varies considerably from class to class. In too many cases, teachers are not good enough at assessing the precise learning needs of their pupils. As a result, they tend to pitch the work for pupils at an average level. They make sure that less able pupils have extra help to enable them to progress, but do not always provide specific challenges for the more able. The impact of this is seen in the lower than average numbers of pupils who exceed the nationally expected levels in the annual assessments in Year 2 and tests in Year 6. Teachers' marking of pupils' work is inconsistent, and in some classes does not help pupils to improve. Currently, class teachers do not take enough responsibility for the progress of pupils with English as

p.4

Grade: 3

an additional language (EAL). Instead, they rely too heavily on the help given by support staff and the monitoring of the acting headteacher in ensuring that the needs of these pupils are met. Although the standards of pupils' personal development and well-being are satisfactory, there are strengths within this. Pupils generally behave well. Most pupils get on well 2 Inspection Report: Wellington Primary School, 5 °6 December 2006 with one another and show good social skills. However, attendance rates are consistently below the national average.

p.4

What the school should do to improve further

• Improve teaching; ensure that marking is rigorous and helps pupils to improve, and provide consistently high levels of challenge for more able pupils. • Ensure that class teachers take greater responsibility for improving the progress of pupils with EAL. • Develop the leadership and management roles of teachers; in particular, ensure that they clearly consider the impact of their actions on pupils' achievement. • Improve attendance.

p.5

Grade: 3

Pupils' rates of progress vary from class to class, reflecting the inconsistencies in the quality of teaching to be found within the school. Children in the Foundation Stage make good progress in developing their social skills. This happens because of the strong focus placed on this vital element of their early development. Progress in the other areas of learning is satisfactory. In Key Stages 1 and 2, pupils achieve best in Year 6. This is the result of high quality teaching and the targeted help provided through, for example, 'booster sessions' to help raise attainment prior to the annual national tests. Despite this, standards are generally well below average in English, mathematics and science. Pupils with English as an additional language, who comprise the majority in most classes, make satisfactory progress.

p.5

Grade: 3

Pupils behave very well in school, and at play. This is a significant improvement since the last inspection. They say how much they enjoy their lessons and being with their teachers. In Year 6, pupils show an exceptional degree of maturity in their approach to learning. They want to do well, and they work hard even when tasks are difficult. Pupils get on very well together, working in pairs or small groups, and older pupils spontaneously help younger ones when they are troubled. Pupils are satisfactorily prepared for the next phase of their education and for their future economic well-being. Their skills in teamwork and their diligent approach to tasks are good, but they do not have secure basic skills in literacy and numeracy. Despite the school's efforts, too many pupils do not attend regularly enough or are late arriving, and their progress suffers. Pupils are respectful of ethnic differences and

p.5

Grade: 3

understand the importance of honesty and fairness. The school names its classes after great artists, and this has helped pupils to develop a sound awareness of cultural heritage in the visual arts. As they get older, they become fully aware of what they 3 Inspection Report: Wellington Primary School, 5 °6 December 2006 should do to stay fit and healthy and to keep safe. The school's links with its local and wider community help give pupils a satisfactory understanding of what good citizenship means.

p.5

Grade: 3

The school is realistic in its judgement that the quality of teaching is satisfactory, and correct in its view that not all teachers have high enough expectations of their pupils. This is largely due to the relative inexperience of teaching staff. At its best, in Year 6 for example, teaching is often inspirational. Pupils are engrossed by the work in hand, however difficult, and apply every effort to it. Teaching is vibrant in style and imaginative in content. Questions call for serious thought and reflection and lessons proceed in an atmosphere of good humour and sustained concentration. Pupils' learning is sharply accelerated in these lessons. However, in some classes, teachers make too little use of the information they have about pupils' abilities when they plan work for them. This means that sometimes the more able are unchallenged, while those with EAL struggle with inappropriate tasks. As they move around the class, teachers too

p.6

Grade: 3

often miss opportunities to move these children onto more suitable work, and their progress suffers.

p.6

Grade: 3

The school's curriculum gives appropriate priority to developing crucial skills in literacy and numeracy. The curriculum for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is satisfactory but there are weaknesses in the provision for pupils learning English as an additional language, because of a lack of clarity about where responsibility for planning lies. Themes for study that combine subjects, such as recent work based on 'The Circus', excite the pupils and help bring learning to life for them. Projects in which older and younger pupils work together develop social responsibility. A range of out of class activities, and visits to places of educational interest help extend pupils' learning beyond the classroom.

p.6

Grade: 3

There are strengths in the pastoral care and support of pupils. Many pupils have emotional or social barriers to overcome before they can settle to learning calmly and confidently. The school provides a good range of additional support for them and their families through the learning mentor and inclusion manager. The school works well with parents, and its good links with social services and other agencies helps ensure that vulnerable pupils are well cared for. However, there are weaknesses in the quality of academic guidance given to pupils. Individual targets for pupils are not embedded 4 Inspection Report: Wellington Primary School, 5 °6 December 2006 across the school and marking does not help pupils understand what they need to do to improve their work. Procedures to ensure the safety of pupils are sound. While the school monitors attendance rates regularly, its systems for promoting good attendance

p.6

Grade: 3

and punctuality are not rigorous enough.

p.7

Grade: 3

The school's evaluation of its own effectiveness is satisfactory. It correctly identifies the strengths to be built on and the weaknesses to be addressed. The school has made satisfactory progress since its last inspection and has a satisfactory capacity for further improvement. This is underpinned by the high quality of teaching in some classes and the staff's good teamwork. The acting headteacher has a good track record of school improvement as deputy headteacher. During this period, she put in place a number of initiatives designed to raise standards, including the development of robust systems for assessing and tracking pupils' progress. These are thorough but the data collated are not always used well enough. For example, the systems are not used to check on the impact of attendance on pupils' progress nor do they result in action to help accelerate the progress of the more able pupils. The acting

p.7

Grade: 3

headteacher has to shoulder responsibility for many aspects of the school's work. This is because the staff lack skills in leading and managing. The new senior management group is beginning to support the acting headteacher in monitoring the performance of the school, but it also lacks expertise at this level. Procedures for inducting new staff new are not yet formalised. This weakness, which is recognised by the school, contributes to the inconsistencies evident in the quality of teaching. Governance is satisfactory. Governors are supportive and are well informed. However, the vacancies on the governing body mean that the responsibility for overseeing the work of the school has to be carried out by too few people. The impact of the governors on the work of the school has lessened in recent months because of the increased focus given to federation with a local nursery and plans for the development of a

p.7

Grade: 3

children's centre on site. 5 Inspection Report: Wellington Primary School, 5 °6 December 2006 .

p.7

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: Wellington Primary School, 5 °6 December 2006

p.8

Inspection judgements

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

p.9

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? 3 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 3 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

p.9

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

p.9

learners?

3 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The behaviour of learners 4 The attendance of learners 3 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 3 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

p.9

and interests of learners?

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

p.9

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: Wellington Primary School, 5 °6 December 2006

p.9

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: Wellington Primary School, 5 °6 December 2006

p.10

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

I would like to tell you what your inspectors think about how well you are getting on and how well your school is helping you to learn. We think that your school is satisfactory, and there are some things that are good. We think that you are making reasonable progress, but your work in English, mathematics and science is not as good as it should be. We know that with a bit more effort, and the help of your teachers, you could do even better. Here are some of the things we liked best about your school: • Your school is a happy place to be in. Everyone is friendly and welcoming. Your behaviour is good. • When you are stuck with your work, there is always someone to help you. • All of the adults in your school make sure that you are well looked after. All of the people who help run your school want it to be even better, so this is what we have suggested they should do next. • We would like your teachers to learn how to become good leaders and managers, because

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

they all have things that they are in charge of. • We would like your teachers to plan their lessons so that those of you who find your work a bit easy have more difficult things to do and have to think really hard. We would also like them to give you more ideas about how to improve when they mark your work. The reason for this is that we would like to see you do even better than you already are. I'm sure that you are ready for this challenge! • We would like your teachers to be more involved in helping those of you who are learning to speak and write in English. Your teachers cannot help you to improve your work unless you help them, and the best way that you can do this is to make sure that you come to school on time and don't take time off when you shouldn't. With best wishes for your future success, Mike Thompson Lead inspector 9 Inspection Report: Wellington Primary School, 5 °6 December 2006

p.11