Southern Road Primary School

Inspection Report Southern Road Primary School

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102755 Unique Reference Number Newham LEA LEA 285338 Inspection number 20 June 2006 to 20 June 2006 Inspection dates Penny Holden AI Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 which gives Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools the authority to inspect any school in England. The inspection is to be treated as a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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Southern Road School address Primary Type of school London Community School category E13 9JH 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 02084719048 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 02084714512 Fax number 848 Number on roll Mrs Bronwen Stuckey Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority (Acting) Sue Delaney Headteacher 26 March 2001 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 285338 20 June 2006 - 3 to 11 20 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 two inspectors. In the course of the day visit, inspectors met with a range of staff and pupils and observed the school at work. Paired observations of several lessons were conducted with the deputy head. School documentation relating to pupils' progress and self-evaluation were also used to form judgements. Discussions were held with the chair of governors, parents planning the school fair, and 55 questionnaires from parents were taken into consideration.

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Description of the school

Southern Road Primary School is large, with 848 girls and boys on roll including the children in the nursery. Pupils come from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures. The main languages spoken at home include Bengali, Urdu and a mixture of European languages and Somali. 335 of the pupils are at an early stage of learning to speak English. 169 pupils are refugees or asylum seekers. The school works with 43 pupils who have learning difficulties or disabilities. Many pupils join or leave the school at points during the school year; for example, nearly half of the Year 5 pupils were not in the school for the Reception year. 41% of pupils are eligible for free school meals.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Southern Road Primary School, 20 June 2006 to 20 June 2006

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Grade: 2

'The children are amazing, they never cease to surprise you - they are always keen and eager to try new things'. These words are the headteacher's and the inspection showed how true they are. There are considerable barriers to many pupils' learning; some come straight from famine or war-torn areas, as many as 200 pupils arrive part way during a year, some understand no English at all, others have complicated or disadvantaged home lives and some have learning or behavioural difficulties. However, given the thoughtful and supportive induction and the consistent care they receive from everybody their enthusiasm to learn flourishes. This good school has several outstanding features. One is the way that everyone works to care for and support the pupils so that they can begin to learn and achieve. Pupils state 'it is important to welcome newcomers' and 'we need to reach out to each other with helping hands'. They run an effective buddy system. Another outstanding aspect

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Grade: 2

is pupils' personal development, exemplified in the care they give one another and the wider community, the responsibility they take around the school, as well as their ability to reflect on their actions and on those of others. A link with pupils in a school on the Isle of Wight that includes visiting each other and getting to know each other's environment is broadening horizons. Pupils make very good progress in their work considering their starting points. Achievement statistics clearly show that this good progress is reflected in all groups within the school. The school recognises there is still room to improve achievement so that more pupils do as well as pupils nationally. Teaching is good and the school's evaluation of what works best and what needs improvement in teaching is robust and accurate. Teachers and teaching assistants are working together very well as a team and this allows pupils to work in small groups

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Grade: 2

tailored to their needs. There is a continual drive to develop strategies that will help pupils learn better. The 'innovation scheme' which uses computer technology by giving pupils in Years 5 and 6 electronic tablets to work has been monitored by the school and is already having a beneficial effect on achievement. Marking that tells pupils accurately what they need to do to improve and clear targets for pupils in literacy and numeracy are being trialled. The senior managers know these are not yet sharp enough and that more could be expected of pupils. Teachers in the beginning of Year 2 also slightly underestimate how well their pupils will achieve at the end of the Key Stage 1, but good strategies are being used to help them be more precise. The curriculum gives pupils rich and varied experiences. There are very good opportunities to take part in activities outside the classroom for all ages of pupil. These

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Grade: 2

range from recorder group and many sporting activities to art club and girls' ICT. The choir sang at the Barbican the evening before the inspection. A feature of Southern Road Primary is the desire to involve parents. Parents are very appreciative of this. To encourage this there is a parental involvement coordinator who focuses on developing ways to include parents in school life, in supporting their children's learning and in 2 Inspection Report: Southern Road Primary School, 20 June 2006 to 20 June 2006 developing parenting skills. So far it has involved parents and children from a wide range of cultural and language backgrounds in a variety of activities including 'bring a dish evenings', quiz nights and mother and toddler club. Courses on managing children, healthy body and healthy eating and a course for parents of nursery children have been successful. The vision of the headteacher and deputy places emphasis on:

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Grade: 2

* making the school a place that welcomes everyone to learning * pupils' personal development * involving parents * including and caring for each individual child. The extended management team when asked to evaluate the head and deputy said 'senior managers are accessible, their delegation is a key, they trust us to take decisions, make us feel very valued, and they have a clear vision and take us with them.' The ethos this creates is evident in the school and is a key to pupils' good achievement. The school has no difficulty recruiting good teachers or teaching assistants because of the effectiveness of their training focus. They are proud that their teachers are 'home-grown'.

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Grade: 2

The school's information indicates that pupils start at the nursery with low attainment. They make considerable progress in the nursery but standards are still low when they begin Reception. The Foundation Stage Profiles show that the early learning goals are met in most areas except for language and literacy and mathematical development. In Key Stages 1 and 2 pupils still achieve slightly below the national average, but considering their capabilities and starting points they make good progress and achieve well. A very positive feature is that all groups of pupils are achieving well.

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Grade: 1

Key Stage 2 pupils understand why healthy eating is important; this and the fact that parents attended a course on healthy eating has had an impact on pupils' choices at lunchtime and the packed lunches they bring. This is not so clearly seen with the younger pupils. School Council take their responsibilities very seriously and want to influence and improve school life where necessary. They are proud of their achievement in changing assemblies that to them were dull. Now there is music, and also achievement and class assemblies. 3 Inspection Report: Southern Road Primary School, 20 June 2006 to 20 June 2006

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Grade: 2

Where teachers set thought provoking tasks learning is often reflective and perceptive. For example, 'What is paradise? I think paradise will have a sunset with palm trees... you will love everything there.' Learning moves forward at a brisk pace where teachers really challenge and push the children's thinking. In a literacy lesson pupils fizz with excitement whilst the teacher's excellent questioning extends their English language skills. They use powerful vocabulary as they explore their feelings and personal thoughts showing real empathy.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is reflected well in the interesting and colourful displays around the school and in classrooms. Whilst the building has many drawbacks, not least the small size of classrooms for older pupils, it is used extremely well to offer a rich learning experience. Out of class activities are a particular strength, giving pupils a breadth of valuable experience. There are plans to link different subjects better within the curriculum to make them even more interesting. The school is very successful in its sporting achievements. At the end of the inspection a teacher who had been out at a sporting competition with some pupils proudly presented the large trophy they had won to the headteacher. The playground has been painted in zones to encourage imaginative, energetic and safe use; this is managed by pupils at lunchtime to improve pupils' play.

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Grade: 2

Care and support are carefully linked, ensuring no pupil falls through the safety net this provides. This makes both these aspects outstanding. One example of how the school gives imaginative support is with a group of very vulnerable Year 6 pupils who are attending a nurture group this term. They are following a leadership programme working with Year 1 and 2 pupils. This is providing a very effective way of giving success and helping them reflect on responsible behaviour. These pupils write: 'it was brilliant because we were actually in charge of those little kids. One of them reminded me of what I used to be like....' 'You are the leader, the children really want to learn... but if you do anything bad they will copy you...' Parents value the school's support processes. A Brazilian parent was surprised to be given the school brochure in her language, Portuguese; she said she hadn't imagined she would be made so welcome. Parents' views about the school are very positive. One

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Grade: 2

wrote: 'my child has been taught by teachers who have been very supportive and passionate in assisting pupils to progress educationally and enjoy their learning.' 4 Inspection Report: Southern Road Primary School, 20 June 2006 to 20 June 2006 Guidance is good. On some occasions the focus on driving achievement upwards is not sharp enough. For example, there are detailed and comprehensive records of the backgrounds, needs and challenges facing individuals, demonstrating that adults know the children really well, but information about learning styles and preferences are not included.

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Grade: 2

All leaders through the school demonstrate a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities. They are keen to work by involving and persuading staff. A subject leader stated perceptively, 'You only manage a subject - other people implement it.' The governing body is relatively inexperienced, and is still developing the skill to rigorously question the school about what it achieves. However, when the well established headteacher left three years ago they took the view that it was important to establish a strong acting head and deputy team. The success of this strategy is evident; this team is still in place and working extremely effectively. The governing body are planning a strategy to ensure they have the best process in place to make new appointments when the time comes. The vision for the school is shared by the governing body which energetically supports the drive for continual improvement.

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Grade: 2

5 Inspection Report: Southern Road Primary School, 20 June 2006 to 20 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: Southern Road Primary School, 20 June 2006 to 20 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 1 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 1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 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 2 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 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 2 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 2 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 2 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 When we visited your school, my colleague and I were delighted to meet so many of you. Thank you so much for showing us the way when we got lost in your very complicated building and for talking to us about your school work. It was such a pleasure to see so many enthusiastic and happy learners. We agree with you that your school is good. We think that some of the things it does are outstanding. Many of you have come from other countries and some of you did not speak any English at all when you started at the school. The way new pupils are welcomed to the school and helped to settle is very good. You play a really important part in that by acting as buddies and always 'lending a helping hand'.All of you make good progress in your work. Some of you could do even better and to help you the teachers and teaching assistants are thinking of ways to help you do this. This will include giving you very precise targets of what you need to work

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

on. You have many opportunities to learn new skills and to take part in exciting activities. You take part enthusiastically in all these and are keen to take responsibility around the school and in the community.Your headteacher, deputy headteacher and other teachers lead the school very well to make it one where you and your friends can do well and become responsible citizens. Best wishes, Penny Holden Lead Inspector

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