Earlham Primary School

Inspection Report Earlham Primary School

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131478 Unique Reference Number Haringey LEA LEA 282215 Inspection number 6 March 2006 to 7 March 2006 Inspection dates Graham Lee AI Reporting inspector

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

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Earlham Grove School address Primary Type of school Wood Green Community School category London N22 5HJ 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 02088882780 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 02083658993 Fax number 427 Number on roll Ms Claire Kober Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Ms Maria Hadjisoteris Headteacher 27 September 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 282215 6 March 2006 - 3 to 11 7 March 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

Earlham is a larger than average primary school which serves one of the most deprived areas in the country. Two thirds of pupils are eligible for free school meals. The school is a diverse community and the vast majority of pupils are of minority ethnic origin. More than three-quarters speak English as an additional language. Around a third of pupils are of White, European heritage and a similar proportion are of Black African or Caribbean background. There is also a significant traveller population. A higher than average proportion of pupils, have learning difficulties.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Earlham Primary School, 6 March 2006 to 7 March 2006

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Grade: 3

Staff and inspectors agree that this is a satisfactory and improving school. The school has been through a very unstable period and was without a permanent headteacher for several years. Under the leadership of the new headteacher much has been achieved. A committed and stable staff team has been established, behaviour has improved and pupils are beginning to make faster progress. The school provides satisfactory value for money. Pupils' achievement is satisfactory overall. When they join the school many children are at the early stages of learning English. They benefit from good provision and make good progress in the Foundation Stage because staff help them to settle rapidly into school routines. Pupils' progress is satisfactory through the rest of the school and accelerates in Year 5 and, especially in Year 6, where the teaching is particularly strong. By the end of Years 2 and 6 standards remain significantly below average in English,

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Grade: 3

mathematics and science. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall although pupils of higher ability are not sufficiently challenged in some lessons. The roles of subject leaders are under-developed in relation to improving teaching and learning. Pupils' personal development is good. They enjoy everything that school has to offer and behave well. Their attendance is unsatisfactory. The school takes good care of its pupils and enjoys the confidence of its parents. Although some issues from the last inspection are yet to be fully resolved the school's leadership have tackled more pressing issues successful, illustrating that there is capacity to improve.

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What the school should do to improve further

* Ensure that teachers consistently challenge all pupils, especially the more able, in order to raise standards in English, mathematics and science. * Develop the role of subject leaders in improving the quality of teaching and learning. * Work with parents to improve attendance.

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Grade: 3

Pupils' achievement is satisfactory overall. Children enter the school with skills and understanding that are very low and many speak little or no English. They make good progress in the Foundation Stage, particularly in personal, social and emotional development because of a nurturing and caring environment. By the time they enter Year 1 firm foundations for learning have been laid but standards remain well below average in all of the areas of learning. Standards at the end of Years 2 and 6 have been rising slowly but remain significantly below average in English, mathematics and science. A substantial proportion of pupils, particularly the more able, have made unsatisfactory progress in recent years because 2 Inspection Report: Earlham Primary School, 6 March 2006 to 7 March 2006 of severe disruption to their education and a lack of continuity in the teaching. Pupils throughout the school are now making at least satisfactory progress because of better

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Grade: 3

teaching and rigorous assessment which sets them challenging targets for improvement. Pupils' progress in reading is especially good in Year 1 because of a new approach to the teaching of reading skills. Their progress accelerates in Year 5 and particularly in Year 6 where the teaching is particularly strong. They are on course to meet this year's challenging targets. However, some pupils of higher ability should do better. The many pupils who are at an early stage of learning English are helped to acquire the language rapidly and make satisfactory progress overall. Those with learning difficulties and emotional and behavioural issues are effectively supported and make as much progress as their peers.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development and well-being are good. They enjoy their education, a view strongly supported by parents. One child commented 'I love the school with all my heart.' Children make a good start in the Foundation Stage in developing their personal and social skills and readiness to learn. Pupils' behaviour is generally good and has improved immeasurably in recent times. Pupils feel safe and say that teachers deal with the few incidents of bullying promptly and effectively. They make a good contribution to their own community through the school council, who display good levels of initiative and responsibility. Members point proudly to an anti-bullying leaflet they have produced. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. They respond well to the opportunities for reflection in assemblies and show respect for one another. The school is racially harmonious. Within this positive climate pupils show respect for the

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Grade: 2

diversity of cultures within society. Pupils are aware of the need to adopt healthy lifestyles and know the benefit of good diet and exercise. Many participate in the physical activities within the school's extra-curricular programme. However, lunchboxes do not always reflect healthy choices. Pupils' attendance is unsatisfactory as it was at the last inspection. A number of families do not ensure regular attendance which has a negative impact on the progress of pupils. The school is developing a wide range of useful strategies to improve attendance but the impact of these have yet to be seen.

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall and contribute to pupils' satisfactory achievement. High levels of staff turnover in recent years had led to unsatisfactory teaching and inadequate progress for some pupils. The school has worked effectively to improve the quality of teaching. There are several examples of good teaching, 3 Inspection Report: Earlham Primary School, 6 March 2006 to 7 March 2006 especially in Year 6 and in the Foundation Stage where it is consistently strong. In Year 6, teachers use their individual strengths successfully to teach both classes as a team. This increases the expertise available to all pupils and gives them obvious enthusiasm for learning. Similarly in Year 2, an effective partnership between the class teacher and ethnic minority co-ordinator ensured that pupils were challenged to extend and develop their language skills. Throughout the school, teachers have good

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Grade: 3

relationships with their pupils and high expectations of behaviour, which contribute to the pupils' good attitudes and enjoyment of learning. In the Foundation Stage, teachers plan well for what the children need to learn next. Elsewhere, in some classes their expectations of what pupils can achieve are not always high enough. This is particularly so for higher attaining pupils, who are sometimes given work that is too easy for them. Teachers mark pupils work regularly and sometimes give pupils useful guidance on how they might improve their work. This is particularly the case in writing but it is not consistent in all classes or in other subjects.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory overall with a number of developing strengths. Pupils' satisfactory progress in literacy, numeracy and information and communications technology (ICT) is giving them the skills needed to help them in their future education and the world beyond. Provision for ICT has improved since the last inspection but there is a need to improve computer facilities in order to make further progress. Those with learning difficulties or whose first language is not English are given effective support in lessons and small groups to help them reach their targets, especially in literacy lessons. The curriculum makes a good contribution to pupils' personal development through initiatives such as the healthy schools project or lessons which teach them about the dangers of drugs or smoking. A good range of after-school clubs develops pupils' personal interests or helps them with their school work as does the Turkish and Kurdish

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Grade: 3

homework club for children and their parents.

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Grade: 2

Parents have a high regard for the good standard of care, guidance and support provided by the school. One commented, 'The school rewards good performance and my children look forward to school each day.' Procedures for child protection and health and safety are robust and well known by adults in school. Systems for assessing risks are effective and help to keep pupils safe, especially on trips out. New pupils to the school settle in quickly because of the good induction procedures. The school works well with outside agencies and with parents to support vulnerable pupils and those with challenging behaviour. The teacher and learning mentors within the Primary Learning Support Unit reduce the risk of exclusion by providing very good support for pupils who find school difficult. The school is developing effective ways of following the progress of individual pupils to ensure that they are able to achieve as well as they

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Grade: 2

4 Inspection Report: Earlham Primary School, 6 March 2006 to 7 March 2006 can. Many parents comment favourably on the Breakfast and After School clubs, which extend the school's care well beyond the school day.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management is satisfactory overall. This agrees with the school's own evaluation. After several years of turmoil and uncertainty the new headteacher is providing strong and effective leadership, ably supported by a committed and enthusiastic management team. A great deal has been achieved over the past year and particularly since September. A very clear and determined focus on raising standards is evident in all the school's work. The headteacher and senior staff have a very accurate view of the school's strengths and weaknesses. Good systems have been put in place to follow pupils' progress and the information is now being used effectively to provide extra support and challenge where necessary. There are robust systems for checking teaching and learning and this is leading to improvements in the achievement of all pupils although they are yet to be fully felt in terms of their impact on standards, especially for the more able.

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Grade: 3

Subject leaders are very clear about the priorities for their subjects but do not yet have a role in monitoring teaching and learning. The governing body have been through an unsettled period which has mirrored that of the school and many governors are relatively new. They are knowledgeable and committed but are aware that their role in monitoring the work of the school is underdeveloped. The school consults parents routinely on proposed initiatives and parents are confident that their views are taken into account. The school has the potential to improve rapidly because of the drive and commitment of senior managers and governors. Although some of the issues from the last inspection have not been fully resolved the school has faced many challenges in the interim. Other more pressing concerns such as stabilising the leadership of the school and improving behaviour have been addressed successfully. 5 Inspection Report: Earlham Primary School, 6 March 2006 to 7 March 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: Earlham Primary School, 6 March 2006 to 7 March 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 2 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 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 4 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 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 3 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 I am writing to thank you all for making us so welcome when we visited your school earlier this week. We all enjoyed our time at Earlham and you all helped us by being so friendly. We thought you would like to know what we found out. Your parents tell us that you enjoy school and this was clear when we talked to you and saw you in lessons. We thought you did your best in lessons and we were impressed with your behaviour. Some of you do not come to school often enough to make the most of it. The school takes good care of all of you and the Breakfast and After School Clubs give you a fun time and helps your parents.When you start school many of you are learning English. You make a good start in the Foundation classes because the adults help you to settle down. As you move through the school teachers help you to develop literacy and numeracy skills although some of you could be asked to think a bit harder in some lessons.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

The school has been through a difficult time with lots of changes. Since September your new headteacher and staff have worked hard to make a lot of improvements to the school. They are always looking for ways to make things even better and to build on the satisfactory quality of education they provide.We have asked teachers to make sure that the work for some of you is a bit harder to make sure that you do as well as you can. We have also suggested that teachers help each other to make their teaching even better. Finally, to get the best out of school your parents need to make sure that all of you are go to school regularly. Yours truly Graham Lee Lead Inspector

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