Shaftesbury Primary SchoolOfsted inspection, 15 Jun 2006

Inspection Report Shaftesbury Primary School

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102744 Unique Reference Number Newham LEA LEA 285168 Inspection number 14 June 2006 to 15 June 2006 Inspection dates Nick Butt AI Reporting inspector

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

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Shaftesbury Road School address Primary Type of school Forest Gate Community School category London E7 8PF 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 020 8472 0761 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 020 8503 4965 Fax number 477 Number on roll Cllr Ted Sparrowhawk Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Ms Stephanie Lachowycz Headteacher 21 June 2004 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 285168 14 June 2006 - 3 to 11 15 June 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

This very large school serves a culturally diverse area near the West Ham Football Stadium. One third of pupils are entitled to free school meals. Nine out of ten pupils speak English as an additional language, 43 different languages being spoken in all. Many pupils enter the school speaking very little English. Around a quarter of the school population is of Indian Heritage. Many pupils come as refugees. There are also some Polish Travellers. The proportion of pupils identified as having learning difficulties is below average. Pupil mobility is very high, involving well over a third of pupils at different times of the year. A major building project has just started.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Shaftesbury Primary School, 14 June 2006 to 15 June 2006

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Grade: 2

This ambitious school provides its pupils with a good quality education. Aspects of its work are outstanding. The headteacher and deputy head have a burning vision for the school fuelled by their passion for education. The school has made excellent progress since its last inspection, with substantial improvement in the quality of teaching and in standards. Teaching is now consistently good and helps pupils to achieve well. In a few lessons, particularly in ability sets, the planning does not challenge all pupils sufficiently. Standards in national tests in Year 6 are now in line with the national average in English, mathematics and science. The rich and varied curriculum contributes well to pupils' outstanding personal development and excellent behaviour. The leadership team have put in place outstanding structures to ensure that the work of the school is meticulously monitored. Inspectors agree with their evaluation of the

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Grade: 2

present position. A strong team of recently appointed middle managers are injecting energy and enthusiasm and supporting teachers well. Children in the Foundation Stage benefit from good teaching, and they achieve well from a low starting point. Sometimes the work is too directed by the teacher with insufficient opportunity for children to choose activities themselves. The school's care of pupils is outstanding, with especially effective procedures in place to help the many new pupils settle in. Leadership and management are excellent, with a strong governing body. The school's costs are below average and it provides outstanding value for money. In view of the school's considerable progress and its determination to keep up the pace of development, its capacity to improve is outstanding.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure that work is planned to challenge all pupils, including those set by ability. • Provide more opportunities in the Foundation Stage for children to make choices and take responsibility for their own learning.

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Grade: 2

Boys and girls of all abilities and ages achieve well. They enter the nursery with abilities that are generally below those expected, but make good progress, especially in their personal and social development. A high proportion of pupils speak very little English and this is why they do less well in the Year 2 national tests. In mathematics, standards have risen considerably this year as a result of the school making the subject a priority for improvement. The number of pupils attaining the higher levels has quadrupled. In Years 3 to 6 the rate of progress is exceptionally good, as a result of careful tracking of progress and targeting of extra support when needed. Standards are broadly average in Year 6 national tests and this represents good achievement. One pupil said, 'Booster classes really helped me improve my literacy.' Pupils exceed challenging targets. Those pupils who join the school from other schools or from abroad achieve as well as their

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Grade: 2

2 Inspection Report: Shaftesbury Primary School, 14 June 2006 to 15 June 2006 classmates because of the school's very effective procedures. Pupils with learning difficulties also achieve well because of very good systems in place to support them. This is why there are fewer pupils on the special needs register than found in most schools. Those pupils learning English as an additional language benefit from lessons that are tailored to include them, and make good progress.

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Grade: 1

Personal development and well-being are outstanding. The school has a very positive ethos and pupils thoroughly enjoy their education. They benefit from a safe, friendly and caring environment, built upon very good relationships. They have a very good awareness of personal safety and say they have an adult to turn to if worried. Attendance is good. Pupils make new arrivals feel welcome. Their attitudes and behaviour are outstanding. Pupils are able to make their views known about school matters during Planning, Preparation and Assessment (PPA) days. One child commented, 'Our greatest success was pigeon excretion prevention!' The school council take their roles very seriously. In the community, pupils have taken part in an opera and joined a debate at the House of Lords. The spiritual, social, moral and cultural development of pupils is good. Pupils readily help one another in the playground as 'peer mediators'. They enjoy taking part in

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Grade: 1

sports and have a good understanding about living healthily. Pupils are well equipped in their basic skills and the school develops in them a love of learning that prepares them well for the future.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are consistently good. Teachers use a wide range of methods to interest and engage pupils. This brings learning to life so that pupils enjoy their lessons and achieve well. In an outstanding Year 2 lesson the teacher used the interactive whiteboard very well to help pupils come up with a system for solving problems. Pupils work hard and rapidly gain skills and confidence as learners. Year 1 pupils talked animatedly about adding on 10 more, and their enthusiasm shone through. In a few classes, especially where pupils are set by ability, the pupils who are attaining better within the set are insufficiently challenged. Their progress, while acceptable, is not as rapid as it might be. In the Foundation Stage, the teaching is generally good, but there are not enough opportunities for children to explore and make choices about their work. Support staff provide well focused help to those with learning difficulties.

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Grade: 2

Teachers use a good range of strategies to involve pupils who are learning English as an additional language, including visual aids. The impact of assessment on pupils' achievement is good. Pupils' work is very carefully marked with detailed comments that help them to improve. 3 Inspection Report: Shaftesbury Primary School, 14 June 2006 to 15 June 2006

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. Recent innovative changes in its content and leadership have significantly improved provision. In particular, a focus on the skills that pupils use is building their confidence. This contributes well to their personal development. Pupils learn to cooperate and work in teams. The school provides well for literacy and numeracy. More focused planning in mathematics has led to much better scores in Year 2 national tests. Provision for ICT is particularly good. The Foundation Stage curriculum is satisfactory. Building work has limited outdoor provision for these children, which has restricted their access to a full range of activities. The curriculum provides well for pupils with learning difficulties. It is effectively adapted to meet the needs of pupils who are learning English as an additional language, and for new arrivals. Enrichment is good with a wide programme of school visitors and

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Grade: 2

exciting opportunities such as school sleepover, and building a life size castle. There is a good range of clubs, including a very active debating society.

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Grade: 1

The school provides outstanding levels of care, guidance and support for its pupils. Their needs are very well known to all staff. One parent commented, 'My son is always allowed to express his ideas and be himself'. Child protection procedures are very thorough and the safety and well being of pupils is given the highest priority. All risk assessments are in place. The care and support for the youngest children is very good. Other children who enter school during the course of the year are very well supported: they are given a six week induction programme to help them to settle quickly. The learning mentor and bi-lingual members of staff provide very effective help to pupils who speak very little English. Very good assessment procedures enable the staff to keep track of individual pupils' progress and to offer expert guidance and support. Parents are kept very well informed, with mid-year reports allowing any issues to be

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Grade: 1

Leadership and management are outstanding. The headteacher and deputy head form a highly effective team, who give the school a strong sense of purpose and drive. Their clear focus on raising pupils' achievement has improved teaching and learning and helped standards to go up considerably. They are building a strong team of middle managers, who contribute well to the school's own accurate and outstanding evaluation of its work. Excellent systems are in place to provide rigorous and regular monitoring of all that goes on. They are used to set priorities and draw up concise plans for school development. 4 Inspection Report: Shaftesbury Primary School, 14 June 2006 to 15 June 2006 The governing body is well informed and supportive. Governors receive regular training, and visit the school regularly to monitor its work. Parents hold the school in high regard and appreciate the information it sends home. One parent wrote, 'I particularly

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Grade: 1

find the half-termly newsletters useful and informative.' The school takes account of the views of pupils and parents. Improvements to the playground have come about because of their suggestions. All the key issues from the last inspection have been very successfully tackled, with significant improvements in teaching, standards and monitoring systems. The recent changes to the leadership team mean that the school is even better placed to continue going from strength to strength. 5 Inspection Report: Shaftesbury Primary School, 14 June 2006 to 15 June 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: Shaftesbury Primary School, 14 June 2006 to 15 June 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 2 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 1 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 3 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 2 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 1 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 2 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 1 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 2 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 1 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 1 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 1 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 2 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 We very much enjoyed visiting your school and we would like to thank you for making us so welcome. We think the school is good, and some things about it are fantastic, such as your behaviour. We were very impressed with how polite you all are and how keen you are to learn. Other things we liked about your school include the consistently good teaching, with interesting lessons and lots of exciting things for you to do. We enjoyed watching the debate and seeing the castle you built on the top floor. We think the staff look after you really well and are especially good at making new pupils feel welcome. They are very clever and don't miss a thing! We are excited about the new building project. This will make a real difference to your school when it is finished, especially for the children in the Reception classes. We are glad they have put in windows so you can watch the work going on. There is very little that we think can be done to make your school any better, but we feel that

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

the children in the Nursery and the Reception classes should have more time to choose and to find things out for themselves. We think they learn well, but there is more they can do independently. We also think in some of your lessons you could be given harder work to do, so that you make even better progress than you are already. We know that you take an interest in how well you are doing, and would encourage you to discuss your learning more with your teachers.Many thanks once again for your help with our visit. We know that your school is going to go from strength to strength. Yours sincerely, Nick Butt Lead Inspector

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