Eleanor Palmer Primary School

Inspection Report Eleanor Palmer Primary School

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100027 Unique Reference Number Camden Local Authority 285704 Inspection number 8 °9 March 2007 Inspection dates Sue Vale 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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Lupton Street School address Primary Type of school London Community School category NW5 2JA 3 °11 Age range of pupils 020 7485 2155 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 020 7267 3694 Fax number 236 Number on roll (school) Celia Grace Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Kate Frood Headteacher 28 October 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 285704 8 °9 March 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

Eleanor Palmer Primary is situated in the London Borough of Camden serving a socially and ethnically mixed community. Around a quarter of the pupils are learning English as an additional language. A smaller than average number of pupils are identified with learning difficulties or disabilities. Around a fifth of pupils are eligible for free school meals. The school is oversubscribed each year with approximately 130 applicants for 30 places. There are considerably more boys than girls in the school.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Eleanor Palmer Primary School, 8 °9 March 2007

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Grade: 2

Eleanor Palmer Primary School is a good school with some outstanding features. Central to this is the outstanding leadership shown by the head teacher, deputy head teacher, senior leadership team and the governing body. The school is accurate in its own self evaluation and clearly focused on identified areas for development. Parents are very supportive of the school and are delighted with the progress their children make. The many comments can be summed up by the views of one parent, 'Eleanor Palmer has a wonderful school community, very inclusive and diverse. The children enjoy a rich, exciting curriculum and every child is known and understood by the staff........we love it.' Most of the children begin school with expected skills for their age. They are particularly fluent in their use of spoken English and have good social skills. Children make good progress in the Nursery and Reception class due to high expectations from teachers

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Grade: 2

about what they can achieve. Basic skills are taught well. This means that when they enter Year 1 they reach standards above what is expected for children of this age. Pupils build on this good start to reach above average standards in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 2. Pupils continue to make good progress as they move through the older classes. This is due in a large part to an outstanding curriculum which interests and motivates pupils to want to learn, and consistently good teaching. There are, however, missed opportunities for pupils to have time to reflect on their work and on the very good suggestions which teachers make of how they could improve it. High levels of parental support are also one of the reasons why pupils achieve so well in their learning. The result is that standards are well above national averages in mathematics and science by Year 6. Pupils' performance in writing, whilst above average, is not as good as in

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Grade: 2

other subjects. The school has rightly identified this as an area for future development. Pupils' behaviour and attitudes are excellent. There is a positive learning ethos throughout the school. This gives pupils a strong foundation for the next stage of their education. The personal development and well-being of pupils is outstanding. Pupils feel safe and very well cared for. Parents have confidence in the school. All these factors make a significant contribution to pupils' achievement. The school has tackled the issues from the last inspection effectively. The school's record of improvement shows that its capacity to improve further is outstanding.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards in writing, particularly for the more able. • Give sufficient time for pupils to reflect and act on teachers' comments in order to improve their work further. 2 Inspection Report: Eleanor Palmer Primary School, 8 °9 March 2007

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Grade: 2

Achievement is good, pupils make good progress and reach high standards overall. Children enter the school with levels expected for their age. Some children have well developed language skills and extensive vocabulary when they start school. Pupils make good progress so that they reach above average standards by the end of Year 2. More able pupils do not reach as high a standard in their writing as they do in mathematics and reading. Pupils continue to progress well as they move through the school so that they reach high standards by the end of Year 6. More able pupils' performance in writing, whilst good, lags behind that of other subjects. In some cases the presentation of pupils' work is untidy. The school has clearly identified writing as a focus for development. Strategies such as the boys' writing group in Year 6, aimed at raising standards in writing, appear to be having a positive influence in the current

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Grade: 2

year, although it is too early to judge the full impact of this yet. Pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities make good progress in basic skills because they are supported very well by teachers and classroom assistants and the work is well planned and appropriate to their needs.

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Grade: 1

The personal development of pupils is outstanding, as a result of the ethos of the school where pupils' opinions are listened to and valued. As one pupil said, 'There is always someone here to help you, and they encourage you to do well.' Pupils' excellent spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very well supported by assemblies and special events, and a rich, stimulating curriculum. When they join the school, pupils quickly gain in self esteem and clearly enjoy coming to school. Pupils behave very well, have a good awareness of how to keep healthy and know how to stay safe. Attendance is very good. Pupils' social awareness is exceptionally well developed. The school council is an active voice in the school. It is impressive that pupils' views have been listened to regarding developments in the school playground and ecological issues affecting their school and the wider world. Pupils develop the skills they need for their

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good with some outstanding features. The relative stability of staffing has helped produce a good level of classroom practice, and, as a result pupils achieve well. Teachers expect high standards. In addition to good classroom teachers, the school makes very good use of additional teaching and support staff, who work very effectively with identified groups of pupils with particular needs. Pupils' 3 Inspection Report: Eleanor Palmer Primary School, 8 °9 March 2007 learning is at its best when the outstanding curriculum captures their interest and concentration. This was observed in an outstanding literacy lesson in Year 1 where the teacher's enthusiasm inspired the pupils to develop their vocabulary well beyond what is expected for their age. Teachers have very good relationships with pupils and high expectations of their behaviour. As a result, pupils enjoy learning.

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Grade: 1

The curriculum is outstanding and has a strong emphasis on developing personal and social skills such as citizenship, healthy lifestyles and environmental sustainability. The curriculum is enriched through a wide range of visits and visitors to the school, which further develop pupils' interests and greater understanding of the world. The school puts an immense emphasis on the wider, global curriculum, which really supports pupils' learning and is why they enjoy being at school. The vibrant displays around the school and celebration of pupils' work illustrate the extensive opportunities available to the pupils. Subjects are linked together well to enhance pupils' understanding and to make learning enjoyable. There are excellent opportunities for pupils to experience the wider curriculum as all pupils in Years 3-6 have the opportunity to learn a stringed musical instrument and French. Information and communication technology (ICT) plays a key role and has been

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Grade: 1

improved as a result of the mobile suite. The school has been awarded the Artsmark Gold and Healthy School standard.

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Grade: 2

The quality of care is very good. Guidance and support for pupils is good. Pupils learn in a safe and attractive environment, which is constantly being developed to meet their needs. Health and safety procedures and risk assessments are robust. Child protection procedures are fully in place. The monitoring of behaviour and attendance is very good. As one pupil said, 'This is a happy and harmonious school, where teachers have time for you.' Assessment and tracking systems are effective and used to check the progress of each pupil and to set annual targets. Teachers mark pupil's work in great detail but do not give pupils sufficient time to reflect on their comments in order to improve their own work further. Although the teachers are clear about the pupils' targets the pupils themselves are not sufficiently clear about how they can improve their work.

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Grade: 1

Leadership and management are outstanding. There is a real sense of teamwork and high expectations throughout the school. These factors have brought about good improvements and resulted in the school's good overall effectiveness. The headteacher 4 Inspection Report: Eleanor Palmer Primary School, 8 °9 March 2007 leads her team very well. She, along with the governing body, has a clearly focused vision for the development of the school. There are very good procedures in place for the day-to-day management. The school's evaluation of its strengths and weaknesses is accurate. Members of the leadership team focus sharply and are very clear about the school's key priorities which are linked to the best interests of the pupils. There are very good links with parents who are very supportive of all that the school does. The governors are very supportive and are knowledgeable in their understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. They act as critical friends and are highly

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Grade: 1

challenging in their expectations of what the school can achieve. The school is in a strong position to continue to improve. 5 Inspection Report: Eleanor Palmer Primary School, 8 °9 March 2007 .

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Grade: 1

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Eleanor Palmer Primary School, 8 °9 March 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? 2 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 1 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 1 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?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The behaviour of learners 1 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 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: Eleanor Palmer Primary School, 8 °9 March 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: Eleanor Palmer Primary School, 8 °9 March 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for making us welcome when we came to visit your good school. It was lovely to be able to meet some of you. You and your teachers do lots of things really well. • You work very hard and you make good progress in your learning. • Your teachers also work very hard and make what you learn fun and interesting. • Your head teacher and other staff are very good at helping you to do as well as you can. • The curriculum is excellent. • Your personal development and well being are outstanding. This means that most of you are confident and happy learners. • Your school is very well led by your head teacher and the governing body. In order to make your school even better, some of you need to strive for higher standards in your writing so that you reach similarly high standards to your mathematics and science results. I have asked the teachers to give you some time to reflect on the very good comments which

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

they make about your work so that you have time to act on these comments to make your work better. With best wishes Sue ValeLead inspector 9 Inspection Report: Eleanor Palmer Primary School, 8 °9 March 2007

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