Henry Fawcett Primary School

Inspection Report Henry Fawcett Primary School

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131874 Unique Reference Number Lambeth Local Authority 282272 Inspection number 11 °12 September 2006 Inspection dates Marianne Harris 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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Bowling Green Street School address Primary Type of school London Community School category SE11 5BZ 3 °11 Age range of pupils 02077352764 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 02075826299 Fax number 380 Number on roll (school) Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mr James Walker Headteacher 15 January 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 282272 11 °12 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 three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Henry Fawcett is a large inner city primary school in a socially deprived area, where over half of the pupils are eligible for free school meals. Pupils come from culturally diverse backgrounds and over half are from a black African or Caribbean heritage. Almost a third of the pupils are at an early stage of learning English. A similar and higher than usual proportion of pupils have learning difficulties and disabilities. The percentage of pupils who move into, or out of, the school, other than at the normal times, is about twice the national average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Henry Fawcett Primary School, 11 °12 September 2006

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Grade: 3

Henry Fawcett Primary School provides a satisfactory standard of education, with some good features. The head and deputy have been successful in creating a school where all pupils are included and most make satisfactory progress from a low starting point. Some pupils make good progress, but, in the past, more able pupils have not achieved as well as they might because teachers' expectations were not high enough. Although standards are below average by the end of Years 2 and 6, the trend in improvement has been upward and standards continue to rise. Pupils make the most progress during Year 6. Historically, they have made slower progress during Years 3 to 5, and this is why achievement is satisfactory overall. This has been identified by the school but strategies for tackling this are too recent to have had an impact on test results. Pupils enjoy being at the school. Most parents feel their children enjoy learning and

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Grade: 3

pupils generally agree with this. The programme to support pupils' personal development is good and has resulted in many positive initiatives such as peer mediating where pupils are encouraged to sort out disputes through discussion. Most teachers make learning interesting by providing opportunities for pupils to talk to each other about what they are learning, and by involving them in assessing for themselves what they have learnt. However, marking is inconsistent and it is not always clear what pupils need to do to improve their work. Pupils themselves are not always sure what they need to do to reach higher standards. Pupils with learning difficulties are well supported so that they make good progress, especially in their personal development. Pupils who are at an early stage of learning English are similarly well supported and activities that meet their specific needs are planned so that they can quickly learn the basics of English. The Portuguese Film

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Grade: 3

Project has been particularly successful in raising the standards achieved by Portuguese speaking pupils. Good induction programmes for pupils new to the school also help them become part of the school community. The good provision in the Foundation Stage results in children making good progress in their social and emotional development. Good care is taken of all pupils so that they become self-confident as they move on to the next stage of their education. New systems have been introduced to track the progress that pupils make during their time in the school. These procedures are now being used to target those pupils who have not made the expected progress and key senior managers are taking a lead role in this. However, many of these managers are new to the school and have had too little time to have a positive impact on standards. The governors and staff work together effectively and the school has good capacity to improve.

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What the school should do to improve further

* Ensure that all staff have consistently high expectations of what pupils can achieve, especially in English and mathematics. 2 Inspection Report: Henry Fawcett Primary School, 11 °12 September 2006 * Provide clear guidance to pupils as to what they need to do to improve their work and reach higher standards.

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Grade: 3

Pupils achieve standards that are below those expected nationally by the end of Years 2 and 6. However, this represents satisfactory progress given the low level of attainment generally on entry to Year 1. During their time in the Foundation Stage, children make good progress, especially in their personal development. However, when they enter Year 1, their attainment in English and mathematics is still below average. Pupils make satisfactory progress during Years 1 and 2 so standards remain below average by the end of Year 2. A small number of pupils who miss schooling through prolonged absence make slower progress than those who attend regularly. Whilst the senior managers have been successful in identifying pupils' slower progress in Years 3 to 5 and have put strategies in place to raise achievement, they have been less successful in ensuring consistency in the progress that pupils make throughout the school. These issues are currently being

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Grade: 3

tackled effectively. The achievement of pupils with learning difficulties, and those at an early stage of learning English, is good because they grow in self-confidence and are keen to learn. However, because teachers do not always have high enough expectations of the more able pupils, they do not always reach high standards in their work.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development and well-being are good. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Art music and drama from different cultures all feature strongly in lessons, activities and displays. Pupils are enthusiastic about school and enjoy what it offers. Pupils know what is expected of them and learn to behave well and work co-operatively with others. They know what to do should bullying occur. The school strongly encourages pupils to have a safe and healthy life style and pupils take part in many sporting activities. Pupils take on responsibilities that help them to become confident, and prepare them well for the future. The peer mediators in Years 5 and 6 take their role very seriously and help to ensure that the school is a safe and friendly place. Most pupils attend regularly and punctually and the school works hard with the few families where attendance is less good. 3 Inspection Report: Henry Fawcett Primary School, 11 °12 September 2006

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory and have improved significantly since the last inspection. Pupils report that they enjoy learning and that behaviour has improved. This was evident where teachers employed a variety of strategies to successfully manage inappropriate behaviour. As a result, most pupils are able to concentrate on their work and make satisfactory progress. However, the more able pupils do not consistently make the progress they are capable of because some teachers do not have high enough expectations of what they can achieve. Expectations of presenting work neatly and completing all tasks given are inconsistent across the school. Good programmes for pupils with learning difficulties, or those who are at an early stage of learning English, are quickly implemented so that pupils can become part of the school community. Those who join the school part-way through their education are given a

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Grade: 3

full induction programme and any needs they may have are swiftly assessed so that they can begin the settling in process. There are, however, weaknesses in the marking of pupils' work in order to help them improve and reach higher standards. It is sometimes just congratulatory, although the practice of asking pupils at the end of each lesson what they feel they have learnt is a positive step in their personal development.

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Grade: 2

The school's curriculum is rich and is enhanced by good provision for music, art and Spanish. There is an extensive programme to support pupils' personal, social and emotional development so that they learn to maintain a healthy lifestyle and become a valued member of the community. All pupils are enabled to participate fully in school life. The school makes good use of its links with industry and the local secondary school in order to enrich pupils' experiences. Pupils enjoy a rich variety of visits to supplement the curriculum. One parent said 'Our son talks about the school trips for weeks after.' However, the curriculum is only just beginning to contribute to raising standards in the school as pupils become more interested in learning.

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Grade: 2

The quality of care, guidance and support is good. Systems for monitoring and tracking pupils' academic and personal development, though relatively new, are effective in identifying where additional support for behaviour or work may be needed. Teachers use the information well to provide support for behaviour but it is has not been used as consistently in all classes to set academic targets. Teachers work closely with external agencies to ensure that pupils' needs are met. The school provides a wide variety of 4 Inspection Report: Henry Fawcett Primary School, 11 °12 September 2006 support for children and their families, including dance movement therapy, a counselling service, before and after school care and parents' groups. It succeeds in creating a safe environment where pupils trust adults and can go to them for help should they need to.

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Grade: 3

The headteacher and governors have a vision of the school at the centre of its local community and are committed to providing a high quality education. The headteacher and the deputy headteacher provide good leadership. Through their innovations the learning environment has improved significantly. Inspectors agree with the school's judgement that leadership and management is satisfactory overall because while the enthusiastic, new senior management team is focused on raising standards throughout the school it is too soon for it to have had a significant impact on achievement. The school's self-evaluation is accurate and identifies what the school does well and the areas that require improvement. Comprehensive procedures for assessing and tracking pupils' progress are now being used more effectively to raise expectations for what pupils can achieve. Academic standards have improved, but this has not been

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Grade: 3

consistent enough in all year groups. Governors are knowledgeable; they understand the school's strengths and weaknesses and are fully involved, with the head and deputy, in monitoring and planning for school development. Regular monitoring of teaching and learning has highlighted areas for improvement and appropriate steps have been taken. Professional development is closely linked to school priorities and its impact is carefully monitored. The programme for learning support assistants has been particularly effective in giving them the skills they need to support pupils with learning difficulties or at an early stage of learning English. 5 Inspection Report: Henry Fawcett Primary School, 11 °12 September 2006 .

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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: Henry Fawcett Primary School, 11 °12 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 2 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

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

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The behaviour of learners 3 The attendance of learners 2 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?

2 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: Henry Fawcett Primary School, 11 °12 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: Henry Fawcett Primary School, 11 °12 September 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for welcoming us into your school a few days ago and spending time talking to us so that we got to know all about your work. I am now writing to let you know what we found out and what we have told your teachers. You told us that behaviour has improved a lot and that you are very proud of your peer mediators. We agree with you and think that your teachers provide interesting lessons for you so that you can concentrate and learn. We think that some of you could do better and have asked your teachers to help you by marking your work carefully and giving you ideas of how to improve your work. We were impressed by all the activities that you do out of lessons, including the visits and opportunities that you have to learn about your community. You are also good at keeping yourself healthy and the school council are certain that their idea of providing fruit for you is a good way of making sure you eat well.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Most of you come to school regularly and on time, but there are a small number who stay away for long periods. We would ask you to remember that school is important if you are to make good progress in your learning. We have asked your teachers to expect more from you and you can help by coming to school on time, working neatly in your books and making sure that all of your work is finished. Thank you once again for all your help and I wish you good luck in the future. Marianne Harris (Lead inspector) 9 Inspection Report: Henry Fawcett Primary School, 11 °12 September 2006

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