Fleet Primary School

100014 Unique Reference Number Camden Local Authority 285702 Inspection number 29 °30 January 2007 Inspection dates David Wynford-Jones 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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Fleet Road School address Primary Type of school London Community School category NW3 2QT 3 °11 Age range of pupils 020 7485 2028 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 020 7485 5177 Fax number 235 Number on roll (school) Dr Jan Toporowski Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Ms Pat Hollister Headteacher 19 November 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 285702 29 °30 January 2007 3°11 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 Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is an average sized school serving a diverse population. Two thirds of the pupils are from various ethnic minority backgrounds, the largest groups being of Asian and Black African heritage. The percentage of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well above the national average. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is below the national average. The socio economic circumstances of many pupils are unfavourable.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Fleet Primary School, 29 °30 January 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school and provides good value for money. It is well led and managed and has good capacity for further improvement. Care, guidance and support are good. Pupils feel safe and develop confidence as they progress through the school. The headteacher has been particularly successful in promoting an inclusive, friendly and supportive environment in which pupils do well. Parents are very pleased and are extremely supportive of the school. Pupils' personal development and well being are good. This is reflected in their excellent behaviour and outstanding enjoyment of learning. Pupils' relationships with adults and with each other are good. Attendance is improving and is now satisfactory. Effective links with the community encourage pupils to develop their cultural awareness and to care for others. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Most children start in the Nursery with levels of knowledge and understanding which

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Grade: 2

are similar to those expected for children aged 3. They make very good progress and the majority of the children exceed the goals expected by the end of the Reception class. Teachers build on this outstanding start so that by the end of Year 2, pupils achieve above average standards in reading, writing and mathematics. In Years 3 -6 the majority of pupils make good or better progress and standards continue to improve, sometimes being high by Year 6. Overall, achievement is good and standards are currently above average. The quality of teaching and learning is good. Teachers know their pupils well. In many lessons, particularly in the reception class, teachers personalise the work for individual children and promote their independence. This generates a lot of interest in and enjoyment of learning. Teachers assess pupils' work accurately. There are some examples of good quality marking but this is not consistent. Appropriate emphasis is

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Grade: 2

placed on developing pupils' social skills; their literacy and numeracy skills are developed well. They are well prepared for the next stage of their education and their future lives. Pupils with learning difficulties and those who speak English as an additional language are supported effectively and make good progress. The curriculum is good with some outstanding features. The thematic approach is well established and good links are made between subjects. The quality of the art work is outstanding. The curriculum is enriched by the educational visits which bring 'learning alive'. Most pupils' understanding of healthy living is developing well but this could be promoted more in some lessons. Insufficient use is made of the limited number of computers and pupils are not given enough opportunities to develop their skills and extend their learning through the use of information, communication and technology

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Grade: 2

(ICT). Leadership and management are good. The accurate school self-evaluation has enabled staff and governors to gain a clear understanding of the school's strengths and identify appropriate priorities for improvement. The role of subject co-ordinators in monitoring and evaluating the quality of teaching and learning is not sufficiently well established. Governance is good. Many governors are knowledgeable and very supportive. They 2 Inspection Report: Fleet Primary School, 29 °30 January 2007 are great advocates for the work of the school. Governors provide some challenge but this could be more vigorous.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Develop the roles and responsibilities of all co-ordinators in monitoring and evaluating the quality of teaching and learning and contributing to the strategic development of the school. • Improve the provision and use of ICT to promote pupils' learning. • Ensure the marking of pupils' work provides guidance for improvement.

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Grade: 2

The vast majority of statutory aged pupils make good progress and achieve well. Standards at the end of Year 2 are rising. In reading, writing and mathematics standards are now consistently above the national average. Pupils make at least satisfactory progress in Years 1 and 2, most having left the Reception class with standards well above those expected of 5 year old children. By the end of Year 6, standards are generally above average but they vary from year to year depending on the proportion of more able pupils and those with learning difficulties. In 2004 and 2006, standards in English, mathematics and science were high but in 2005 they fell to below the national average in English and mathematics. In science they were above average. Standards in the current Year 6 are above average. This represents good achievement because their results at the end of Year 2 were below the national average. Standards in science are consistently better than those in

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Grade: 2

English and mathematics. Girls are generally doing better than the boys in English but there are no significant differences in mathematics and science. The performance of pupils from all ethnic backgrounds is broadly similar, but some pupils from Bengali and Somali backgrounds are not doing quite as well. The school has identified these pupils and is providing good additional support.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' behaviour in lessons and around the school is outstanding. They really enjoy school and have developed very positive attitudes to learning. Attendance is improving but too many pupils continue to take holidays in term time. Pupils know who to talk to if they are worried; that the adult will listen and any concerns will be followed up. Pupils are proud to be members of the school council and are now ready to take on more council responsibilities, for example as 'Chair or Secretary'. They are keen to raise money for various charities including a school in Ghana. The good relationship between pupils fosters the desire to learn about different cultures and ways of life. This contributes effectively to their cultural development. Many pupils are developing a good understanding of healthy living and are keen to re-cycle waste materials, but 3 Inspection Report: Fleet Primary School, 29 °30 January 2007

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Grade: 2

some have yet to embrace this approach. They are well prepared for the next stage of education and later life but this could be improved by greater access to and use of ICT.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning in most classes is consistently of a good standard and contributes to the pupils' good progress and personal development. Teaching in the Foundation Stage is always of a high standard, this leads to the children settling quickly and making well above average progress. Throughout the school, the relationships between teachers and pupils are very strong and pupils are well motivated and focussed on their learning. Clear expectations are set for pupils' attitudes and behaviour, which results in outstanding behaviour in lessons. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities, and those for whom English is an additional language, benefit from effective support. This helps them to participate fully in lessons and make good progress. In English and mathematics some of the more able older pupils are not challenged sufficiently. Limited use is made of the few computers in the classrooms. Most marking does not offer

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is planned and adapted effectively to meet the needs of the vast majority of pupils and reflects the cultural diversity of the school through various activities such as celebrating the work of Black and Asian Artists. There is a strong creative focus and this ensures that pupils are engaged and enjoy their lessons. Subjects are effectively drawn together around different themes, thus providing pupils with good opportunities to see the links between the subjects. Good emphasis is placed on developing pupils' literacy and numeracy skills. The display of pupils' work around the school is exemplary and the quality of pupils' art work is outstanding. Pupils' personal development is supported well but further work is needed to ensure all pupils understand the importance of healthy lifestyles. Provision for ICT is developing but pupils do not, as yet, have consistent opportunities to develop their skills and apply

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Grade: 2

their learning effectively across the curriculum. The curriculum in the Nursery and Reception class is very well planned and expectations are high in all areas of learning. The emphasis placed on matching the curriculum to the individual child's needs enables them to settle quickly and make very good progress. Appropriate extra curricular activities and a wide range of visits and visitors to the school effectively enhance pupils' experiences of the wider world. Parental support for all the school's activities is very high and greatly valued by the whole school community. 4 Inspection Report: Fleet Primary School, 29 °30 January 2007

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Grade: 2

Pupils are cared for well and they are confident that there is always someone on hand to deal with their concerns or problems. Strategies to support pupils with learning difficulties and those for whom English is an additional language are good. There are effective whole school systems to track and evaluate pupils' progress in literacy and numeracy. These are used well. There are some good examples of informative marking but this is not consistent. Many pupils do not know what they need to do to improve; some are not familiar with their individual targets. The school meets requirements for health and safety and regularly carries out risk assessments. Child protection arrangements are good. The school works effectively with other agencies to ensure that vulnerable pupils receive appropriate support and achieve as well as they can. There are good partnerships with local schools to ensure that transitions into the

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Grade: 2

school and to secondary school are smooth. Links with parents are good and contribute much to the good progress made by the pupils.

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Grade: 2

The leadership and management of the school are good. The school operates effectively on a day to day basis. It is calm and well ordered. The headteacher provides strong, effective leadership for the school. She is supported well by members of the senior management team who contribute appropriately to monitoring and evaluating the work of the school. This has resulted in the setting of challenging targets, improved standards and good achievement. There is scope for further developing the role of all subject co-ordinators in monitoring and evaluating the quality of teaching and learning and contributing to the development of the school. The school improvement plan is based on a thorough and accurate evaluation of the schools' strengths and areas for development and provides a good framework for continued progress. The school is aware of the need to improve the clarity of the success criteria in its plan. Effective

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Grade: 2

steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection. Successful initiatives include better deployment of support staff and greater involvement of pupils in the life of the school. These successes, combined with whole staff commitment to provide the pupils with a high quality education, indicate that the school has good capacity to improve further. 5 Inspection Report: Fleet Primary School, 29 °30 January 2007 .

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Grade: 2

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Fleet Primary School, 29 °30 January 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 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 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

2 How well do learners achieve? 2 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The behaviour of learners 3 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 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?

2 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. 7 Inspection Report: Fleet Primary School, 29 °30 January 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? 8 Inspection Report: Fleet Primary School, 29 °30 January 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you very much for making my colleague and me so welcome when we visited your school. We really enjoyed our visit and talking to you. Looking at your books and talking to you about your school and your work helped us a lot in coming to our inspection findings. We were very pleased to hear that you like coming to school so much and your attendance is improving. We thought that you were very friendly and polite. Your behaviour in class and in the playground and your enjoyment of learning was outstanding. We believe your school is a good school and does a lot of things well. Your headteacher and teachers work hard to make certain that you are well cared for. The children who go to the Nursery and the Reception class are really lucky because they have a fantastic start to school. You have certainly learnt a lot about other countries and ways of life. Your art work is some of the best we have seen. The standards you reach in reading, writing and mathematics, but

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

particularly in science, are above average. Well done. We also think that your school could do even more to help you gain even higher standards. We have asked your headteacher and teachers to ensure that: • when your work is marked you are told what you have to do to improve; • the teachers responsible for the different subjects check carefully what you are being taught and how you are getting on; • the school buys more computers and gives you more opportunities to use them. We are sure that if this happens you will get an even better education. Once again, thank you for making our visit so enjoyable. Best wishes to all the pupils at Fleet Primary School. David Wynford JonesLead inspector 9 Inspection Report: Fleet Primary School, 29 °30 January 2007

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