Churchfields Infants' School

Churchfields Infants' School Inspection report

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133936 Unique Reference Number Redbridge Local Authority 282393 Inspection number 17 °18 May 2007 Inspection dates Jane Chesterfield 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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Infant Type of school Community School category 3 °7 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 476 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Sandra Wood Chair Lesley Hook Headteacher 5 March 2003 Date of previous school inspection Churchfields School address South Woodford London E18 2RB

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020 8505 0386 Telephone number 020 8505 5486 Fax number

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3 °7 Age group 17 °18 May 2007 Inspection dates 282393 Inspection number .

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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

The school is much larger than average and has an eight place Language Facility for children in the borough with speech and language difficulties. The proportion of pupils at the school with learning difficulties or disabilities is below the national average. The number from minority ethnic backgrounds is greater than average, while the number learning English as an additional language is similar to the national picture. A below average proportion of pupils is eligible for free school meals. About a quarter of the children entering Reception, equivalent to one class, have not attended the school's Nursery.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Churchfields Infants' School, 17 °18 May 2007

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Grade: 1

Churchfields Infants is an outstanding school which gives its pupils an excellent start to their education. One child remarked, 'There's nothing I'd like to improve, it's a super school', and a parent commented that she felt 'so envious' of the experiences her children were getting. At the heart of the school's success is its ability to understand and respond to the needs of every single child, and its determination to turn out well-rounded individuals who are confident and eager for the next stage in their education. The driving force behind the school is the vision of the headteacher, who is constantly striving for improvement and keen to spread the school's excellent practice throughout the borough. The headteacher is given first class support by the deputy head, the chair of governors and the senior staff, who are full of enthusiasm and ideas for the future development of the school. The school is very successful in all areas of its work. Year on year, pupils consistently reach

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Grade: 1

very high standards in their end of key stage tests in reading, writing and mathematics and make excellent progress throughout the school. The outstanding quality of the curriculum means that pupils acquire a range and depth of skills and knowledge across all subjects. Lessons are planned to ensure that pupils benefit from exciting and creative approaches to learning. During the inspection, for example, working with the artist in residence gave pupils a great opportunity to develop their confidence and put their skills into practice, and they relished this chance. Teaching throughout the school is never less than good, and there is much outstanding teaching which inspires, motivates and challenges pupils to the full. The school's ongoing commitment to developing its staff already helps, but could be extended to make sure that all staff have the chance to share their specialist skills and learn from the very best practice.

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Grade: 1

Pupils thoroughly enjoy being at the school. As one said, 'We love all the things we do'. Excellent guidance and support mean that they are not only progressing in leaps and bounds academically, but are also developing the personal qualities that will stand them in good stead for the future. Assemblies are magical, spiritual experiences where pupils have the opportunity to reflect on the world and their place in it. Pupils have a clear sense of how to behave and how to relate to others, thanks to the high expectations of all staff, and the carefully organised daily routines which ensure they feel confident and safe at school. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities are given outstanding support so that they can make progress comparable with their peers. The Language Facility enables them to do so very successfully. Thanks to the hard work and commitment of all staff, the school has made good improvement

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Grade: 1

since the last inspection. Parents recognise that it provides an excellent education for their children and value all the ways it helps them to support their children's learning at home, for example with reading journals. The school is very outward looking and keen to work with others for the benefit of its pupils. Its self-evaluation is honest and clear-sighted, and it has a thorough understanding of its many considerable strengths and the areas it wants to develop. As a result, it has an excellent capacity for future improvement.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Extend the successful professional development work by enabling teachers to share their good practice and specialist skills throughout the school. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Churchfields Infants' School, 17 °18 May 2007

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Grade: 1

Children enter Nursery with skills which are generally below expectations for their age. When they leave Reception most are at expected levels in all areas of learning, irrespective of how long they have spent in the Foundation Stage. The very well structured curriculum and the good, sometimes outstanding, teaching in the Foundation Stage help them to achieve well, though the limited accommodation restricts opportunities in Reception. The school works very hard to make sure that the spring and summer born children, who are currently entitled to less time in the Foundation Stage than the autumn born, are not disadvantaged by this. Pupils' achievement is outstanding in Years 1 and 2, where they are constantly excited and motivated by the curriculum and the teaching. Results for both boys and girls are consistently very high compared with the average, and girls in particular do phenomenally well. Although

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Grade: 1

boys do very well, the school is aware of the gap, and is doing its best to make its resources and topics appealing to all pupils. Approaches such as the innovative use of information and communication technology (ICT), including digital cameras and interactive whiteboards, are proving successful here, and boys are beginning to close the gap. Pupils from minority ethnic groups and those learning English as an additional language achieve similarly well.

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Grade: 1

The personal development of the pupils is outstanding. Pupils say that they really enjoy coming to school and are very positive about everything that goes on. They are happy and settled and relate exceptionally well to adults and to each other. Pupils feel safe at school, and trust the adults who work with them. Behaviour is excellent and pupils play together very well in the playground. Their attendance and punctuality are good. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. Pupils have raised large sums of money for charity and are very involved in the life of the community, for example taking part in local music festivals. They are aware of the need for regular exercise, saying that their lessons in physical education are great fun, and they know about the importance of a healthy diet. Pupils are used to working together happily in pairs and in groups, learning skills

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Grade: 1

which will prepare them well for their future. They enjoy taking part in a wide range of exciting activities, such as the imaginative art, drama and music workshops, which add tremendously to their love of school. For example, pupils were enthralled by their visit to the Toy Museum at Bethnal Green, and talked about this with boundless enthusiasm.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good overall, with some outstanding elements throughout the school where teachers draw on their specialist knowledge. In the Foundation Stage staff work together very well to create an environment where children can thrive. Excellent relationships between adults and children help them become confident and independent learners. In Years 1 and 2 lessons are lively and pupils pay close attention because they are so keen not to miss what is coming next. All staff explain clearly what pupils will be learning and what they should achieve. Pupils respond confidently, have good opportunities to talk about their work, and use their 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Churchfields Infants' School, 17 °18 May 2007 initiative well. Work is systematically planned across the yeargroups and is matched very accurately to the differing needs of individuals. The dynamic pace and quality of the outstanding

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Grade: 2

lessons stimulate pupils' interest and thirst for knowledge so that they make very rapid progress. On a very few occasions the pace of lessons is too slow and some pupils become restless. The quality of teachers' marking is good overall, with some examples of outstanding practice which demonstrate to pupils precisely how to improve. Teaching assistants make a significant contribution to pupils' learning.

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Grade: 1

The curriculum is rich and creative, meeting the needs of all learners very well. In the Foundation Stage curriculum well planned, structured play activities enable the children to work together constructively, share their experiences and learn independently. Lesson time in Years 1 and 2 is planned imaginatively to ensure all subjects are fully covered. Pupils are given an excellent grounding in the basic skills of English, mathematics and science. The skilful incorporation of ICT, music, drama and art across the curriculum adds an especially exciting dimension to pupils' learning. There is outstanding support for those pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities, and those learning English as an additional language. The school offers a superb range of enrichment activities and visits, and welcomes visitors to the school. For example, a local artist and specialist drama teacher brought some unforgettable experiences to pupils' learning during

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Grade: 1

The care, guidance and support provided for all pupils are outstanding. The school does all it can to provide a safe and secure environment where they can flourish. Pupils say that teachers are really friendly, and that everyone in the school is very helpful. They particularly like having a dinner lady attached to their class to look after them at lunchtime. Children in Nursery and Reception benefit from a very carefully planned induction process which enables them to settle without fuss. Procedures for safeguarding children are robust. The school works very well with parents and outside agencies to ensure pupils have access to the right support, and parents appreciate this. Procedures for tracking pupils' progress are rigorous and ensure that individuals and groups of pupils do as well as they can. The support given by the Language Facility is outstanding and helps pupils to improve their language skills very successfully.

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Grade: 1

Leadership and management are outstanding at all levels. The energy and determination of the headteacher and senior managers inspire loyalty and commitment from the whole staff, who work together very successfully as a team. Monitoring and evaluation of teaching and learning are thorough and systematic, enabling senior staff to have a clear view of the school's strengths and focus on the areas they want to develop. They are committed to ensuring that every child has the chance to do the best they can. Teaching and support staff are very well deployed to make the most of their particular expertise, and given every opportunity to improve their skills and knowledge. They value this greatly. Finances are carefully planned and managed with a view to the anticipated move to a new building in the foreseeable future. The governors 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Churchfields Infants' School, 17 °18 May 2007 support the school well and are developing their roles, following the excellent example of the

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Grade: 1

chair. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Churchfields Infants' School, 17 °18 May 2007 .

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Grade: 1

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Churchfields Infants' School, 17 °18 May 2007

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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? 1 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 1 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? 1 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?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The behaviour of learners 2 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Churchfields Infants' School, 17 °18 May 2007

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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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Churchfields Infants' School, 17 °18 May 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

4 June 2007 Dear Children Inspection of Churchfields Infants' School,London,E18 2RB Thank you for being so helpful and friendly when we visited your school. We really enjoyed meeting you and talking to you. We agree with you and your parents that Churchfields is an excellent school, and we know that you enjoy going there very much indeed. You are doing extremely well in your learning because your lessons are so exciting and interesting. Your teachers have got to know you very well and give you work which is just right for you. This means that you learn new things very quickly. You are very lucky to have such a great range of things to do at your school, like the art and the drama and all the other fun activities. We were very impressed with your behaviour in class and in the playground, and we thought that everyone got on together very well. The staff take excellent care of you, and those of you who need extra help are very well supported, so that everyone has the chance to do their best.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Your headteacher and her staff run the school expertly, and know how to make it even better in future. We have agreed that all the staff are going to share their special skills and talents for different subjects with one another to make your lessons even more enjoyable. Well done to you all and best wishes for the future. Jane ChesterfieldLead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Churchfields Infants' School, 17 °18 May 2007

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