Ealing Primary Centre

134597 Unique Reference Number Ealing LEA LEA 282609 Inspection number 22 March 2006 to 22 March 2006 Inspection dates Jane Wotherspoon Reporting inspector

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

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573 Greenford Road School address Special Type of school Greenford Pupil referral unit School category Middlesex UB6 8QJ 5 to 11 Age range of pupils 02085756067 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 02088134203 Fax number 10 Number on roll Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Ms Teresa McMann Headteacher Not applicable Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 282609 22 March 2006 - 5 to 11 22 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 one of Her Majesty's Inspectors.

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Description of the school

The centre is part of the local authority's Primary Behaviour Service, a multi-agency service for schools. It can cater for up to 18 pupils, but currently has 10 boys from a range of ethnic groups on roll. All have social, emotional and behavioural difficulties but only one has learning difficulties. Three have been permanently excluded from their primary schools and the rest hold dual registration. Three are on a short-term full-time placement with the aim of returning to a mainstream school. Three have statements of special educational need and attend full-time while awaiting placement at an appropriate school. The remainder attend part-time. Pupils join and leave the centre at various times according to their needs. Since February 2006, an outreach team has operated from the centre, working with schools to support pupils to maintain their places in mainstream provision. In the previous academic year this team dealt with 134 referrals from schools across the

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Description of the school

authority. Typically, staff work with and support between 50 and 60 pupils each term. Family support services and mental health workers are based at the centre as part of this team. The service has grown and evolved since it began in 2002. The provision was registered formally as a PRU in September 2003 and has not been inspected previously. It has operated from a variety of premises in four different locations before finally moving to its purpose-built accommodation in January 2005. It has undergone many staff changes during this time. At present, the two classes are taught by temporary supply staff.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Ealing Primary Centre, 22 March 2006 to 22 March 2006

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Grade: 3

The centre accurately judges itself as satisfactory. It gives satisfactory value for money. Staff provide a good level of care and support for pupils both in the centre and in local schools. Pupils' personal development is satisfactory. Adults work together effectively to help pupils develop strategies to modify their behaviour, to confront their emotions and to make the right choices. Successes are hard won. The centre's strong partnership with other support services, some based in the same accommodation, ensure that pupils' social and emotional well-being is paramount. Teaching is satisfactory and underpinned by good relationships, but could be more challenging for those pupils capable of working at higher levels. The centre offers pupils interesting activities and experiences. Provision for personal, social and health education is strong. The centre is led and managed satisfactorily. The new senior leadership team is working together

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Grade: 3

to develop their roles and to establish robust systems for monitoring what is working well and evaluating what needs further development. There is scope for managers to make better use of information about pupils' achievements to track their progress and to analyse what could be improved further. Having finally settled in permanent accommodation with essential services located under one roof, the centre is well placed to improve.

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What the school should do to improve further

* Improve teaching to increase the academic challenge for pupils, ensuring that they know what to do to improve their work as well as their behaviour. * Develop and embed systems for monitoring the provision and for evaluating what is working and what could be improved. * Extend systems for tracking pupils' progress over time and sharpen the analysis of this information to identify where individuals could be making better academic progress.

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Grade: 3

The centre's assessment information shows that most of the pupils are working at levels below expectations for their age when they start. They frequently have gaps in their knowledge and skills as a result of disruption to their education caused by their challenging behaviour which has led to exclusions from school. The centre has reliable evidence of pupils who have now left to return to mainstream school having made good progress during their time there. Pupils currently attending the centre are making satisfactory progress. Most read simple instructions and texts accurately. Their written work has weaknesses and this is an area that the centre knows needs improvement. The pace at which pupils record their work is often slow and many use strategies to avoid writing if they can. The quality of presentation is untidy and although some have interesting ideas, their writing is not always correctly punctuated. Several prefer to write using the computer and

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Grade: 3

2 Inspection Report: Ealing Primary Centre, 22 March 2006 to 22 March 2006 gain a greater sense of satisfaction from their work. Pupils' number skills are satisfactory and they are learning with some degree of success to try out different strategies. Their work in mathematics is closer to the levels expected for their age.

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Grade: 3

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is satisfactory. Pupils generally know what is right and wrong, and what is and is not acceptable behaviour; they just find it difficult to conform at all times. They understand the need for rules in the centre and have helped to devise some. Through their discussions on bullying, pupils know that they need to think before they speak. Such aspects are explored effectively during assembly and circle time. Pupils reflect on their own feelings and, at times, show some sympathy for the feelings of others. Pupils' behaviour is improving and they generally behave in a safe manner and feel safe at the centre. They are learning to make the right choices, to get on with each other, and developing the social skills that will help them to re-integrate into mainstream school. There are occasional flash points and the boys are learning to resolve conflicts for themselves and to put disagreements 'in

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Grade: 3

the past'. Given the small size of the group it is sometimes difficult for pupils to get away from each other. Some pupils are a little reticent on meeting visitors to the centre. The attendance rates of individual pupils are variable. Often, these reflect difficulties in the pupils' home circumstances, but many attend more regularly than they did at their previous schools. Pupils' attitudes to work are generally satisfactory though they do not always show a high level of enthusiasm. However, they are motivated by the reward systems and the race to get as many stickers as possible by the end of the week. Certain activities, such as the lunchtime games and the games played during group times capture their enthusiasm. Nearly all recall activities that they enjoy. Mainly, they say they like the physical activities, especially the weekly outward bound opportunities, and the trips out. Pupils have a good awareness of the importance of

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Grade: 3

eating healthily and the need to keep safe, especially from harmful substances.

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Grade: 3

Teaching is satisfactory with some good features. Teachers work hard to create a positive environment for learning, underpinned by good relationships. The teamwork between the adults is a very good model for the way that pupils should relate to each other. Planning systems are comprehensive. Lessons have clear learning objectives and the practice of sharing these with pupils and reviewing them at the end of the sessions works well. This strategy is successful in helping pupils to recognise what they have achieved and boosts their self-esteem. However, there is not always a close match between the lesson's objectives and the targets in pupils' individual education plans. The centre manager has identified that there is scope to improve the way that 3 Inspection Report: Ealing Primary Centre, 22 March 2006 to 22 March 2006 teachers modify tasks for pupils according to their abilities, by making better use of

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Grade: 3

what they know about the pupils' past achievements. This is a focus for staff development. At times, pupils are simply expected to complete more work of a similar level rather being given more challenging tasks. The day is sensibly broken up into short sessions to help pupils retain interest in the activities. However, this structure is not always balanced with enough time for pupils to practise the skills that are being taught. Teachers mark pupils' written work regularly. Their praise boosts pupils' self-esteem. However, some written work is accepted too readily and marking is not always clear enough about what pupils need to do to improve.

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Grade: 3

The centre does not have a statutory obligation to provide the National Curriculum. Nonetheless, staff work hard to offer a broad variety of activities that give pupils an appropriate range of experiences. The national strategies for literacy and numeracy are followed satisfactorily. The centre has identified the need to make use of catch-up programmes to help plug the gaps in pupils' basic skills and to accelerate their progress because so many are behind in their learning. The strong emphasis on personal, social and health education is wholly appropriate given the nature of pupils' difficulties and is successful in meeting their social and emotional needs. Some challenging activities are planned specifically to foster pupils' social development, to help them to listen to instructions and to respond appropriately. These sessions are managed well. Adventure activities, much enjoyed by the pupils, and visits to local places of interest enrich the

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Grade: 3

pupils' experiences, contributing effectively to their cultural development.

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Grade: 2

All staff are highly committed to the pupils in their care and have the interests and safety of each one at heart. They manage to establish positive relationships with the pupils, who are volatile and vulnerable. Through the staff's consistent and patient approach, pupils are supported effectively to develop strategies to modify their behaviour and are taught how to keep themselves safe. This high level support is not matched by such precise guidance on how pupils might improve their academic standards. The good level of guidance from the many agencies based at the centre help to support the wide-ranging needs of pupils and their families. Systems for safeguarding pupils are secure and the centre has strong links with social services. The work of the outreach team, made up of support teachers, mental health workers, pupil and family workers, and re-integration link workers, is effective in sustaining

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Grade: 2

many pupils in their mainstream provision. As a result, the permanent exclusion rate in the local authority is falling and is lower than many neighbouring authorities. The management of pupils' reintegration into mainstream schools is good. Links with 4 Inspection Report: Ealing Primary Centre, 22 March 2006 to 22 March 2006 schools that receive pupils are well-established and headteachers speak highly of the team's support. This leads to successful re-integration for the pupils concerned.

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Grade: 3

The leadership team of the head of service, centre manager and outreach manager, is clearly focused on meeting the centre's aims to reintegrate pupils as quickly as possible and to sustain pupils in primary schools through well-targeted support. To that end, and with a good degree of success, there is a strong focus on the pastoral aspects of the centre's work. This new management team, in place since November, has the capacity to develop the provision further. The team has made a good start on developing systems to monitor and evaluate what is working and what could be better. As a result, they have an accurate view of the strengths of the provision and the areas that need development. There is scope to sharpen the analysis of information about pupils' achievements, in the centre and beyond, to measure the broader impact of the centre's work. Each branch of the service has efficient management systems that are currently running alongside each other,

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Grade: 3

reflecting the changing nature of the provision and the relatively recent moves to bring together the whole service onto one site. The new improvement plan is effective in identifying how the systems can be brought together. It sets a large, though achievable, agenda for change in the short term. Statutory responsibilities for the centre lie with the local authority. A group of interested professionals including four headteachers, known as the 'Primary Forum', was initiated to support the centre staff and to oversee the development of the centre but does not have statutory responsibility for holding the centre to account for its achievements. The authority is seeking to extend the terms of reference of this group and to develop its role as a management committee. 5 Inspection Report: Ealing Primary Centre, 22 March 2006 to 22 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: Ealing Primary Centre, 22 March 2006 to 22 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 NA 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 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 3 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 3 The behaviour of learners NA 3 The attendance of learners NA 3 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 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

Children As you know, I have just finished inspecting the centre and I am writing to tell you what I found. You were a little quiet when I first met you but I am glad that you soon started to talk to me. I was pleased to see you enjoying yourselves when you played the dice game. You really did have fun! You learnt a lot about how it feels to be disappointed and how you have to control those feelings. I was impressed to see how some of you were thinking about the feelings of others too. I know that you all find it difficult to do the right thing all the time but I could see that you were trying really hard. Well done! Keep improving your behaviour and your work will improve too. Try to make sure you come to the centre regularly. The adults at the centre work hard to give you lots of different things to do and learn during the day. I know you all like going to 'Greenlight Adventures' and some of the other trips. You

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

like all the physical activities too and they help to keep you fit. The adults in the centre look after you well and it is good to know that there is someone you can turn to if you are upset. The centre is satisfactory but there are some things that could be better. I have asked the teachers to give some of you harder work if you can manage it. I have asked the staff to keep checking on how well you are doing, how quickly you are learning and how you might be able to learn even more. Best Wishes Jane Wotherspoon Her Majesty's Inspector

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