Gatton (VA) Primary School

Inspection Report Gatton (VA) Primary School

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134041 Unique Reference Number Wandsworth LEA LEA 282429 Inspection number 7 March 2006 to 8 March 2006 Inspection dates Lyn Riley AI Reporting inspector

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

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Gatton (VA) Primary School School address Primary Type of school Lessingham Avenue Voluntary aided School category Upper Tooting Road, London SW17 7TJ 4 to 11 Age range of pupils

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002086825570 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 002086824159 Fax number 388 Number on roll Mr Sadiq Khan Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Ms Firdos Qazi Headteacher Not applicable Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 282429 7 March 2006 - 4 to 11 8 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

Gatton is a larger than average voluntary aided Muslim primary school serving an economically diverse, urban community. The school attracts pupils from eight London boroughs and is heavily oversubscribed. Almost all pupils are from minority ethnic groups where the first language is not, or is believed not to be, English. There are currently two pupils with statements of special educational need and the percentage of pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities is average. The percentage of pupils entitled to free school meals is above average. The school was previously independent and was accommodated in a cinema that had been converted into a Mosque. It became part of the voluntary aided state sector in September 2004 and moved into a new purpose-built school building in January 2006. This is the school's first inspection report.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Gatton (VA) Primary School, 7 March 2006 to 8 March 2006

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Grade: 3

Gatton VA Primary is a welcoming school that provides a satisfactory standard of education and satisfactory value for money. The transition from independent to voluntary aided state status, and the move from the previous accommodation into the impressive new school building, has been effectively managed. The school has a dynamic headteacher and a supportive governing body and has the capacity to make further improvements.Staff and pupils are beginning to settle into the new building and parents are adapting to the more formal school systems and procedures. The school has adopted a new approach to teaching and learning, which is at a very early stage of development, and the quality of teaching is inconsistent. Teaching is regularly monitored by senior staff but the approach is not yet sufficiently robust to ensure that teaching is consistently good across the school. The school's evaluation of its own effectiveness judged its overall effectiveness as good and was more generous

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Grade: 3

than the inspectors' judgements.The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage are satisfactory. Children enter the school with skills and abilities that are in line with national expectations and make satisfactory progress during the Reception Year. Thereafter, standards at the end of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 are in line with the national average because pupils make satisfactory progress through the school.The school has a good relationship with the local authority and is developing good links with other local schools and organisations to promote the learning and well-being of pupils. The school regularly consults with parents and the majority of parents are supportive and appreciative of the opportunities the school provides for their children. Pupils enjoy their lessons and value their new school.

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What the school should do to improve further

* improve the quality of teaching and learning, including marking* improve the management of pupils' behaviour* develop the leadership teams' expertise in monitoring and evaluating standards and performance.

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Grade: 3

Children enter the school with skills and abilities that, overall, are in line with national expectations though their spoken language and mathematical skills are above local authority and national averages. They make satisfactory progress in the Foundation Stage and enter Year 1 at expected levels.In the most recent Key Stage 1 tests, results were just above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics. Results in the Key Stage 2 tests were slightly above the national average in English, slightly below in mathematics and below average in science. Taking account of the pupils' prior attainment, this represents satisfactory progress and achievement throughout the school.The school has set challenging targets for the current Year 6 and they are on course to achieve higher results. Prior to entering the state sector, the school attained above average results in English, mathematics and science with around half

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Grade: 3

2 Inspection Report: Gatton (VA) Primary School, 7 March 2006 to 8 March 2006 of pupils attaining the higher levels. The school predicts that this year's results will be back to this level and evidence from Year 6 lessons seen during the inspection supports this forecast. Standards in information and communication technology (ICT) could not be assessed as the new ICT suite is currently under construction.Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities make sound progress and their achievement is satisfactory because they are effectively supported in lessons.

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Grade: 3

Pupils' personal development is satisfactory. Pupils like their new school and talk enthusiastically about the new resources and opportunities it offers. They enjoy lessons and are pleased that they have more opportunities for physical education.Pupils' moral and social development is generally good and their behaviour is satisfactory. However, pupils are not always fully attentive in lessons and they are sometimes boisterous during break-times. Pupils complain that occasionally children behave inappropriately towards each other. In lessons most pupils work co-operatively and they move around inside the school in a safe and orderly manner. Since the opening of the new school attendance has improved and is now in line with the national average.Arabic and Islamic studies have a positive impact on pupils' spiritual and cultural development. Opportunities for pupils to learn about other faiths extend their understanding of the

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Grade: 3

multi-faith society in which they live. Pupils enjoy taking part in successful fundraising, demonstrating their concern for others less fortunate than themselves; for example, victims of the recent earthquake in Pakistan.Pupils have some opportunities to contribute to the school community. For example, they have put forward their views and ideas for the Learning through Landscapes playground project. However, there is no school council or any other systematic way in which pupils can contribute to improving the school.Pupils recognise the importance of adopting a healthy lifestyle and taking physical exercise. The sound teaching of basic skills prepares them effectively for the next stage of education and for their future economic well-being.

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory. The school has changed its approach to teaching and learning to take advantage of the more spacious classrooms and other new facilities. The new 'carousel' approach, whereby teachers provide up to five different activities for pupils in each lesson, is enabling pupils to experience a broader range of activities during the day, but this is not yet embedded well enough to have had a significant impact on pupils' long-term progress and achievement.Pupils' learning is at least satisfactory in lessons and they are engaged and interested in the various activities. The movement from sitting on the floor the carpet to the activity tables is sometimes noisy and pupils become distracted and fussy. This impedes the pace and flow of the lesson as teachers give pupils repeated reminders about expectations of classroom 3 Inspection Report: Gatton (VA) Primary School, 7 March 2006 to 8 March 2006

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Grade: 3

behaviour.All activities have clear learning objectives. The comments that teachers make when marking work sometimes evaluates the pupils' learning, but this is inconsistent across the school. Persistent errors in pupils' work are not always picked up and dealt with.The school has effective assessment and tracking systems to monitor pupils' progress. Teaching is regularly monitored but the current approach lacks sufficient rigour to be effective in improving the overall quality of teaching across the school.Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities are accurately identified, receive effective support from support assistants and make satisfactory progress. OK

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Grade: 3

The school provides a satisfactory curriculum but physical education and ICT are at an early stage of development. Pupils are taught Arabic and Islamic studies to meet their religious and cultural needs. Teachers make suitable use of ICT in lessons, through the use of interactive whiteboards, but pupils are not yet able to use computers in the new ICT suite.Teachers plan jointly in year groups to ensure that pupils in different classes receive the same effective curriculum coverage. The school has recently introduced a few after-school clubs and plans to extend this provision further. There is a satisfactory range of visits provided for pupils and the school welcomes makes good use of visitors to enrich pupils' learning experiences. Pupils are effectively taught how to stay safe and healthy through science lessons and Islamic studies. Working in small groups provides pupils with opportunities to develop self-confidence and effective

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Grade: 2

The school provides good care, guidance and support for its pupils. A high level of commitment and care is given to ensuring pupils' health and safety in this new school building. Risk assessments are regularly carried out and carefully attended to.Induction arrangements are effective and children settle quickly into the Reception class. The headteacher and senior staff know each pupil and their family well and individual pupils' personal and social needs are effectively met.Child protection procedures are in place and there is a regular programme of training for staff in this area. Pupils know that there are a number of adults they can turn to if they have any problems. Assessment is used satisfactorily to set pupils' individual learning target, but persistent errors in pupils' work are not always picked up and dealt with quickly enough.

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Grade: 3

The headteacher and staff have been successful in creating a welcoming ethos in this new school. Considerable thought and vision by leaders and governors has gone into the design of the new premises. Pupils, parents, staff and governors are rightly proud of the impressive new accommodation. Effective partnerships have been formed with 4 Inspection Report: Gatton (VA) Primary School, 7 March 2006 to 8 March 2006 parents, the local authority and other agencies. These positive features form a solid foundation for further development and growth and indicate that there is the capacity for further improvement.The monitoring and evaluation of the school's work is satisfactory but is not yet sufficiently rigorous or systematic. Consequently, leaders view a number of aspects of the school more favourably than the inspectors. The evaluation of teaching involves a range of methods includes regular observation of

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Grade: 3

lessons and analysis of pupils' work but these are not yet fully effective in sharing good practice and taking steps to address shortcomings. Consequently, there are inconsistencies in the way that pupils' work is marked and in the management of their behaviour. The school development plan correctly identifies appropriate priorities such as the development of ICT, creative arts and physical education to further improve the curriculum. However, it lacks sharply focused criteria to show how progress will be measured and evaluated.Governors are committed and supportive and have made a valuable contribution to the completion of the new premises. They are aware of the need to be more informed about the quality of teaching, the standards achieved and the development of the curriculum. They undertake regular training and fulfil their statutory requirements. 5 Inspection Report: Gatton (VA) Primary School, 7 March 2006 to 8 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: Gatton (VA) Primary School, 7 March 2006 to 8 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 3 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 NA 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 3 The behaviour of learners NA 3 The attendance of learners NA 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 3 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 3 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 for welcoming the inspection team to your school. We would like to thank you for taking time to speak to us in lessons and we would particularly like to thank the group of pupils who spoke with Mrs. Canniff for their important contribution to the inspection. We think your school is doing a satisfactory job overall. The inspectors were very impressed with your new school building and we think that your headteacher, teachers and governors have worked very hard to create such an impressive new building for you to learn in.Your headteacher has made sure that the new school is safe and we were impressed by the way you move around inside the school in a quiet and orderly manner. Your teachers have worked hard to give you a greater variety of activities in class and you mostly try hard in lessons. You are well looked after and cared for in school. In order to make your school even better, we have asked your headteacher and governors to

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

find ways to make teaching and learning even better and to help the senior staff to become even better at judging the quality of everything that goes on in the school.You can help to make your school even better by listening carefully when your teachers are talking and doing as they say, the first time and by being kinder to each other in the playground.My team enjoyed visiting your school and we wish you well in the future. Mrs E A Riley Lyn Riley Lead Inspector

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