Barn Croft Primary SchoolOfsted inspection, 26 Apr 2006

Inspection Report Barn Croft Primary School

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131057 Unique Reference Number Waltham Forest LEA LEA 282167 Inspection number 25 April 2006 to 26 April 2006 Inspection dates Barbara Atcheson AI Reporting inspector

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

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2 Brunel Road School address Primary Type of school Walthamstow Community School category London E17 8SB 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 02085211145 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 02085204306 Fax number 211 Number on roll Father David Waller Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Martin Lubich Headteacher 25 November 2002 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 282167 25 April 2006 - 3 to 11 26 April 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Smaller than most, this school has an ethnically diverse intake, mainly White British, Pakistani and African-Caribbean. The school opened in 1997 and expanded in successive years so that in 2004 pupils entered Year 6 for the first time. Most pupils come from the immediate area, which is socially and economically disadvantaged. Many are housed on a temporary basis. High proportions speak English as an additional language and just over a third are eligible for free school meals. Above average proportions of pupils have learning difficulties or disabilities. In 2004 the school was removed from special measures. The headteacher and assistant headteachers have been in post for less than one year.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Barn Croft Primary School, 25 April 2006 to 26 April 2006

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Grade: 3

The inspection judged overall effectiveness of the school and value for money to be satisfactory. Although the school's view was more generous than this, steady improvement has been made recently. The headteacher and senior managers have already identified the correct course of action to move the school forward, but recognise that much remains to be achieved. Well-considered plans and the thorough response to the issues raised by the last inspection show that the school has good capacity to improve. Overall, the school provides a satisfactory quality of education and satisfactory value for money. Pupils are well cared for. One new parent commented 'the school have done their utmost to make my daughter feel part of the school. She is very happy and settled'. Effective arrangements are in place to support pupils' personal development and well-being and this is having a positive impact on their learning. However,

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Grade: 3

attendance, especially authorised absence, is below average. Taken overall, pupils achieve satisfactorily. For the past two years pupils in Year 6 have made significant progress. Their national test results show good improvement when compared with their performance in Year 2. The decline in standards at Year 2 has been halted. However, the progress of pupils in the Foundation Stage is slower because provision is currently inadequate. Teaching is satisfactory. There are pockets of good teaching where pupils are enthused and make good progress. However, this is not yet firmly embedded across the school. There is inconsistent use of the setting of individual targets which will help pupils move on to the next level in their learning.

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What the school should do to improve further

* Strengthen curriculum and planning in the Foundation Stage in order to accelerate the children's progress * Use target setting to ensure that pupils understand what they have to do to progress to the next level in learning* Investigate reasons for the above average levels of authorised absence in order to develop strategies to improve attendance

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Grade: 3

Achievement is satisfactory. This is because older pupils receive good teaching and make up lost ground which results from a slow start and poor provision in the Foundation Stage. Attainment on entry is very low. Progress through the Foundation Stage is slow. By the end of reception few attain the goals expected of five-year-olds in any of the six areas of learning. 2 Inspection Report: Barn Croft Primary School, 25 April 2006 to 26 April 2006 Standards were well below average at the end of Year 2 in 2005, reflecting the high number of pupils with learning difficulties. Recent initiatives and improved teaching are beginning to halt the decline in reading and writing at the end of Year 2. Pupils are on course to meet the challenging targets set. Whilst standards at the end of Year 6 in 2005 were still well below average in English and science, standards in mathematics were above average. Over the two years that

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Grade: 3

there has been a Year 6, standards have risen and a significantly higher-than-average rate of progress sustained. Pupils are achieving soundly in English and science, but particularly well in mathematics as a result of good teaching and well-planned programmes of support. Effectively targeted support enables pupils who speak English as an additional language to achieve in line with others. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities are also effectively provided for and achieve satisfactorily.

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Grade: 2

Pupils develop good social skills and behave well. The school's 'buddy' and 'carer' systems encourage pupils to care for each other. Inappropriate behaviour is dealt with effectively. Bullying is rare. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. They enjoy school saying, 'I like the learning styles' and 'I like science because we do experiments'. Despite the school's best efforts attendance is below average principally because a small number of families take holidays during term. The school council enables pupils to develop responsible attitudes. They take pride in the fact that they successfully prioritised and managed a budget of £2,000 for playground equipment. Notices such as 'please be polite at all times' reflect the school's positive ethos. Pupils make good progress in learning about keeping safe and healthy and understand the need for a balanced diet. They work with parents for the benefit of the school and community.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' economic well-being is enhanced by the good progress they make in mathematics although literacy skills remain less well developed.

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Grade: 3

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory with some good features. Where teaching is good, well matched, challenging work brings relevance and enjoyment to learning. In the Foundation Stage teaching is not organised as well as it should be. Planning does not take into account the needs of the children sufficiently well and this results in a slow pace of learning. For older pupils work sometimes lacks interest and challenge. For instance, one pupil said 'history is boring because we just listen'. At other times work is more exciting. The excited chatter of Year 5 pupils investigating number sequences was a good indicator that as a result of good teaching pupils were making significant progress because they were enthused. Teaching assistants promote 3 Inspection Report: Barn Croft Primary School, 25 April 2006 to 26 April 2006 learning effectively particularly when working with pupils with learning difficulties.

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Grade: 3

Strategies such as the use of visual cues support pupils with English as an additional language well. All teachers use assessment to check progress. However, the use of individual target setting for pupils is inconsistent and so many are not clear how they might improve their work.

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Grade: 3

The newly-developed curriculum is satisfactory; it is being monitored but has not yet been in place long enough to prove its effectiveness. Although curriculum planning has recently been carefully tailored to meet the needs of pupils, it is still in the process of being fully implemented. It takes account of the changing seasons especially in science when pupils learn about growing seeds and plants in the spring term. Science and physical education make a significant contribution towards the development of healthy lifestyles. Several visitors contribute well to pupils' enjoyment and achievement. Lunchtime clubs and after-school activities are very popular and often over subscribed; these include arts and crafts, needlework, netball and football. Effective extra support is given to those pupils from minority ethnic groups for whom English is an additional language.

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Grade: 2

Care guidance and support for all pupils are good. All staff work well to promote the health and safety of pupils within the school. The school carries out regular health and safety checks and risk assessments. Child protection procedures are securely in place. Good support is provided for pupils with emotional and behavioural needs and those with learning difficulties because all are well known to staff. Care is effectively tailored to their needs. Pupils know where to seek help if they have a problem. The strongest links with parents are formed with those who work with the learning mentor. Appropriate targets are set at annual reviews for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities and are incorporated into individual education plans. However, not all teachers set the individual targets that will help pupils progress to the next level in their learning.

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Grade: 3

Taken overall, leadership and management are satisfactory. The creative and purposeful leadership of the new headteacher is successfully building a staff team committed to accelerating pupil progress and lifting standards. In a short space of time they have 4 Inspection Report: Barn Croft Primary School, 25 April 2006 to 26 April 2006 established a school where there is a positive ethos and equal opportunities are promoted effectively. Newly-defined roles for subject managers means that all have a clear view of their duties, but most are at an early stage in developing this aspect of their work. They have yet to improve the quality and consistency of teaching across the school particularly in the Foundation Stage.The new leadership team is quickly forming an accurate view of the school. Weaknesses such as reading and writing have already been identified effectively and are being tackled systematically. The school

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Grade: 3

improvement plan is a useful document and reflects a full analysis of pupil performance and a series of well defined priorities for action. This business-like approach and the full response to the issues raised by the last inspection indicate that the school has good capacity to move forward briskly.Financial management is good and resources are used well. New members of the governing body lack experience in their roles and responsibilities however those who are established do hold the school to account and are fully involved in school planning. 5 Inspection Report: Barn Croft Primary School, 25 April 2006 to 26 April 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: Barn Croft Primary School, 25 April 2006 to 26 April 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 4 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 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 4 The attendance of learners NA 3 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 3 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

Pupils Thank you very much for making us so welcome when we visited your school, especially those of you who told us what sort of a school you go to and what you liked or did not like about it. We thought you would like to know what we liked about your school and how we thought it could get even better. * Your school is a very happy caring school.* Your teachers and teaching assistants work very hard to care for you, and everyone is valued.* You behave well and know your class rules and how to keep safe and stay healthy. These are the things that will make your school even better.* Nursery and reception could be much better and we have asked the staff to find ways to plan more interesting work.* You should attend school regularly.* Teachers should set targets to help you understand what you have to do to make even better progress.Thank you once again for looking after us so well on our visit. Mr Whitehead joins me in sending our very best wishes for your future.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Yours sincerely Barbara Atcheson (Additional Inspector)

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