Hugh Myddelton Primary School

Inspection Report Hugh Myddelton Primary School

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131842 Unique Reference Number Islington Local Authority 282266 Inspection number 29 September 2006 Inspection date Charalambos Loizou Reporting inspector

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

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Myddelton Street School address Primary Type of school London Community School category EC1R 1YJ 3 °11 Age range of pupils 02072786075 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 02072786754 Fax number 384 Number on roll (school) Mr David Hankins Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mr David Mylroie Headteacher 6 March 2000 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 282266 29 September 2006 3 °11 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 one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

This is a large primary school situated in a disadvantaged area. A high proportion of pupils are eligible for free school meals. The school provides full-time nursery places for children from the age of three. The pupils come from a broad range of minority ethnic backgrounds. A high proportion are in the early stages of learning English. The percentage of pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities is similar to that of most schools. The number of pupils joining and leaving the school at different times is quite high. The headteacher has been in post for one year. There is an inclusion team and support services based at the school that support vulnerable families.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Hugh Myddelton Primary School, 29 September 2006

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Grade: 2

Hugh Myddelton is a good school with some outstanding features. Pupils achieve very well and mature into confident young people. Highly effective leadership and governance ensure that standards continue to improve and good teaching is maintained, despite the high staff turnover. Good monitoring and accurate evaluations of lessons and of the pupils' performance, ensure that all pupils do as well as they can in most subjects. Achievement is outstanding and standards are above average. From low starting points when they first join the school, the pupils make very good progress in their academic achievement and in their behaviour and attitudes to school and learning. Children in the Foundation Stage make good progress. Standards are above average by the end of Year 6. The pupils in the early stages of learning English do very well as most reach or exceed the standards expected for their age. Pupils with learning difficulties and

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Grade: 2

disabilities make excellent progress because of highly effective support and teaching. Teaching and learning are good. Many lessons are excellent but some teaching of writing is only satisfactory and slows pupils' progress. Early writing skills are not being taught well enough by the end of Year 2. Pupils' handwriting is not consistently well formed and spelling is not accurate enough. This slows pupils' progress in writing in Years 3 to 6. The headteacher has deployed highly skilled senior staff to work alongside colleagues to tackle this specific weakness. As a result, most lessons are now good. The teaching in the nursery and reception classes has improved since the last inspection but early writing skills are not taught well enough. The pupils' personal development and well-being are good. Although attendance is just below average, it is improving well because of the vigilance of the inclusion team.

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Grade: 2

Parents are responding well to the support provided by the team through excellent home and school links which has resulted in much improved attendance rates. The pupils' care, guidance and support is outstanding and is having a positive effect on their good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils show caring attitudes to each other and the world around them. One pupil commented, 'I like the way we learn from each other's different languages and cultures because there are so many in every class'. They are encouraged to explore and do so with enthusiasm and they feel safe from harm or harassment. The guidance pupils receive about how to achieve their best in lessons is very good. Assessment is very well used by teachers and managers to ensure that all pupils do as well as they can. The school provides pupils with a good range of interesting activities so that their enjoyment of learning is highly

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Grade: 2

evident. Parents confirm this as one typically commented, 'We are delighted that our child finds Hugh Myddelton a friendly, safe and enjoyable place to learn'. There are extensive community links including family learning programmes, and a highly effective inclusion team that supports vulnerable families. 2 Inspection Report: Hugh Myddelton Primary School, 29 September 2006

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What the school should do to improve further

* Improve the teaching of early writing skills in the Foundation Stage and in Years 1 and 2 to raise standards in writing.

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Grade: 1

Achievement is outstanding. Standards are above average by the end of Year 6. All pupils achieve very well in relation to their low starting points, including those in the early stages of learning English. Children in the Foundation Stage achieve well even though most fall short of the goals set for children by the time they start Year 1. The school sets challenging targets. National test results confirm that standards are improving. The results at the end of Year 6 in 2006 improved in writing reflecting some highly effective teaching that accelerates pupils' progress. Test results by the end of Year 2 show that the pupils perform less well in writing compared with reading, mathematics and science. This reflects weaknesses in the teaching of handwriting, spelling and sentence structure from an early age. The effective intervention of the leadership team has begun to address this as older pupils are on course to reach their

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Grade: 1

targets. Pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities make excellent progress because they are supported very well.

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Grade: 2

The pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. The creative arts, music and sport make a strong contribution to pupils' social, moral and cultural development. Pupils are able to reflect on ideas, customs and the beliefs of the diverse range of cultures represented by the communities the school serves. Attendance is currently average and special achievement assemblies contribute to improving attendance rates. Pupils are very well behaved and form strong friendships. The buddy system enables them to support others and learn the importance of including everyone in a community. Pupils feel safe and are aware of healthy living as many participate in morning and after school sport. Reading and mathematics skills, including the use of computers, are used very well to prepare pupils for their future. Pupils make significant contributions to the community, through special festival assemblies or

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Grade: 2

when representing their school in music, sport and the performing arts.

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Grade: 2

The teaching is good overall and a significant amount is outstanding. Teaching in the Foundation Stage provides a good range of activities that meet the needs of the 3 Inspection Report: Hugh Myddelton Primary School, 29 September 2006 children well. Across the school, the teaching is having a positive effect on pupils' personal development and achievement. However, there are inconsistencies in the way early handwriting and spelling is taught, so that younger pupils make slower progress in writing than they do in reading and mathematics. The most effective teaching sets clear learning goals and accelerates pupils' progress. In an excellent English lesson, Year 6 pupils rapidly improved their writing because the teacher constantly referred to the learning goals and clear visual prompts helped the pupils to organise their writing accurately. The school's monitoring shows that some lessons, although satisfactory, do not lead to the same rapid pace of learning because tasks

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Grade: 2

are not always challenging enough. Highly skilled teachers are working alongside colleagues. This is having a significant impact. Good practice is constantly being shared to minimise variations in the pace of learning and to ensure that all pupils reach their targets.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. It is having a positive effect on standards and the pupils' personal development. Improvements to information and communication technology (ICT) have been successful so standards have improved well since the school's last inspection. Although writing standards should be higher, the focus on improving writing has led to increasing opportunities for pupils to write independently. Consequently, pupils gain in confidence as they experience a range of writing such as note taking, play scripts and some challenging extended story writing in Year 6 linked to Macbeth. The many creative and sporting opportunities successfully promote enjoyment in learning. This heightens pupils' interest in their work so they are motivated and want to do well. The range of extra-curricular activities is very good and includes music, sport, dance and drama. These, together with the very good links with the London Symphony Orchestra, local schools and organisations, lay good

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Grade: 1

The quality of care, support and guidance are outstanding and is having a positive effect on pupils' personal development, safety and well-being. Many pupils participate in fitness activities and sport, reflecting the school's commitment to healthy living. The school is happy, safe and supportive. It has strong links with pupils' homes, reinforced by the school's inclusion team and support services. Robust child protection procedures and checks on all staff as well as systematic risk assessments help to ensure that all pupils are safe. Outside agencies are used very well to support pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities and to monitor attendance and the needs of vulnerable pupils and their families, including pupils from families where English is being learned as an additional language. 4 Inspection Report: Hugh Myddelton Primary School, 29 September 2006 Assessment and marking are used very well by teachers and the leadership team to

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Grade: 1

ensure that all pupils understand how they can improve their work to reach their targets.

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Grade: 1

Leadership and management are outstanding. Accurate and improving self-evaluation and planning for improvements take account of pupils', staff and parents' views. The leadership team systematically analyses pupils' performance using highly effective assessment and tracking systems. They have guided improvements effectively by sharing best practice and promoting high quality teaching across the school. Team leaders and governors evaluate the impact of the curriculum and teaching on pupils' learning. Despite many staff changes, good teaching has been maintained and is much improved since the last inspection. The school is very popular and well established as a focal part of its community. Governors are a real asset and hold the school to account. The school has an excellent partnership with parents and consult with them frequently. Given the school's excellent track record in raising standards, it is very well placed to

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Grade: 1

continue improving. 5 Inspection Report: Hugh Myddelton Primary School, 29 September 2006 .

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Grade: 1

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Hugh Myddelton Primary School, 29 September 2006

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Inspection judgements

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

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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? 2 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 1 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

1 How well do learners achieve? 2 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 1 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The behaviour of learners 3 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 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

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and interests of learners?

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

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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: Hugh Myddelton Primary School, 29 September 2006

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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: Hugh Myddelton Primary School, 29 September 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

I was pleased to visit your school and write to thank you for your help and for making me feel welcome. I believe that yours is a good school. Your school has many strong features. * It helps you to enjoy learning and try hard and you are very well behaved. * You are doing very well in most lessons and reach good standards in reading, mathematics and science. * You are all trying very hard to come to school regularly and on time. * You enjoy the many extra activities the school provides, especially fitness activities and sport. * The staff take good very good care of you. * Your school is very well managed and your teachers support you well. I have asked your teachers to make some improvements. * I would like them to improve your writing, and especially, the younger pupils' handwriting and spelling. I wish you all the very best. Yours faithfully Charalambos Loizou Lead inspector 9 Inspection Report: Hugh Myddelton Primary School, 29 September 2006

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