Sherington Primary School

Sherington Primary School Inspection report

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100141 Unique Reference Number Greenwich Local Authority 285727 Inspection number 3 °4 July 2007 Inspection dates Jacqueline Krafft HMI 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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Primary Type of school Community School category 3 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 395 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Mr J Wadsworth Chair Mrs D Atkinson Headteacher 14 January 2002 Date of previous school inspection Wyndcliff Road School address Charlton London SE7 7JP

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020 8858 5497 Telephone number 020 8858 1151 Fax number

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3 °11 Age group 3 °4 July 2007 Inspection dates 285727 Inspection number .

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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 and two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Sherington is a large primary school with a nursery which serves a socially and culturally diverse community. About half the pupils are White British and the largest minority ethnic group are of Black African heritage. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is higher than average. Almost half the pupils are eligible for free school meals and the number of pupils who leave and join the school at different times is high. The percentage of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is also high although a smaller proportion than average has a statement of special educational need. The school is a designated children's centre and a recent inspection of its extended day care provision judged it to be good. The school has achieved a quality mark for basic skills and exemplar status for its work in information and communication technology (ICT).

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 10 Inspection Report: Sherington Primary School, 3 °4 July 2007

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Grade: 2

Sherington is a good school with outstanding features. In this attractive and caring learning environment pupils feel safe, enjoy school and make good progress in their academic and personal development. As one parent wrote, 'my son looks forward to going every day. He also wants to go at the weekends too!' When pupils start in the Nursery many do not have the skills and knowledge expected for their age, particularly in communication, language and literacy. Good leadership in the Foundation Stage is having a positive impact and improving the quality of provision which is good. As a result pupils settle quickly, become confident learners and make good progress, particularly in creative development and number. Pupils continue to make good progress as they move through the school to reach average standards by the end of Year 6. However rates of progress, vary from year to year. Pupils make good progress because they receive good teaching and the

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Grade: 2

curriculum is outstanding. Relationships are based on mutual trust and respect so pupils have good attitudes to learning and behave well. Teachers help them to understand what they will be learning and how they can improve. Lessons are enlivened by the good use of interactive whiteboards and pupils respond particularly well to the excellent opportunities to develop and apply their ICT skills. Different tasks are planned to meet the varied needs of learners although the level of challenge they provide is inconsistent so rates of progress vary. The curriculum has improved significantly since the previous inspection, particularly through the use of specialist teachers to deliver sport and music. A parent noted a particular appreciation of the work done in music and ICT and added 'extra curricular activities such as in music and art enhance the children's learning and confidence'. The strength in art is evident in the good display of pupils'

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Grade: 2

work in and around the school. These features contribute significantly to pupils' good personal development and enjoyment. The driving force behind this improving school is the outstanding headteacher, effectively supported by her deputy. They set high expectations and provide a good model of team working which staff value and emulate. As a result, despite high levels of pupil mobility and staff changes, they have secured an harmonious, inclusive school ethos. Excellent links are made with a wide range of other agencies to support pupils in overcoming barriers to learning. Monitoring and tracking systems are effective and provide the school with accurate information about its strengths and weaknesses but plans are not specifically focused on actions for improvement and how their success will be precisely measured. Improvement since the previous inspection, good teaching and clear monitoring systems

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Grade: 2

demonstrate the school has good capacity to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Increase the level of challenge for pupils to ensure they make consistently good progress. • Sharpen the focus and evaluation of the school plan more specifically on improvement and how it will be measured.

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Grade: 2

From their low starting points pupils make good progress to reach average standards by the end of Year 6. Standards in Year 2 have improved over the last few years, particularly in writing, 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Sherington Primary School, 3 °4 July 2007 with more pupils attaining the higher levels. This has been the result of a focus on developing writing. The needs of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities and English as an additional language are identified early and good support is targeted effectively. Their progress is monitored and reviewed regularly so they achieve well. Challenging targets are generally met by the end of Year 6 although not consistently through the school.

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Grade: 2

The personal development of pupils is good. Pupils enjoy school, grow in confidence and develop positive attitudes. Behaviour in classes and around the school is good. Pupils are polite, courteous and keen to talk about why they like their school and enjoy learning. Despite good efforts by the school attendance is still below the national average and remains a priority for improvement. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. They respect different beliefs and traditions and show an appreciation of the world around them, particularly evident in their enjoyment of art and music. As a result they collaborate well and know what makes a good citizen. Pupils thoroughly understand the importance of healthy lifestyles and take part enthusiastically and the good sporting opportunities available in lessons and after-school clubs. They are safety conscious without being fearful. This is a caring school

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Grade: 2

where pupils feel secure knowing that any concerns will be dealt with promptly. Pupils have been central in developing the school's effective policy to deal with any incidents of bullying or racial harassment. They make a good contribution to the school community which is evident through the council newsletters on the school website. Good social skills, willingness to take on responsibility and a keen understanding of the benefits of ICT equip pupils well for their next steps in education.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good with some outstanding lessons. Class management is good and teaching assistants are used effectively to help pupils learn during all parts of lessons. Teachers share clear learning objectives with pupils and some are helping pupils to understand how they will know when these are achieved. There is some imaginative use of learning resources, for example in an ICT lesson there was excellent use of instant messaging for collaborative learning during the lesson and self-evaluation at the end. Although teachers plan to meet the differing learning needs of pupils, sufficient challenge for all pupils is inconsistent. Marking is usually good and gives pupils clear guidance on how to improve although pupils rarely respond to teachers' written comments and questions. Pupils enjoy their lessons and one said 'I like the way that teachers talk to us and, if you don't understand, they listen

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Grade: 1

The curriculum is enriched in many ways and is outstanding in meeting pupils' varied needs and interests. Links with two specialist schools bring many benefits to teaching and learning in sport and the arts. For example, pupils in the Reception classes receive tennis lessons from a specialist tennis coach. There is outstanding provision for ICT so pupils use their skills with 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Sherington Primary School, 3 °4 July 2007 competence and confidence in other areas of the curriculum. The majority of pupils belong to a choir or learn a musical instrument. From Year 2, French is taught in all classes. A high proportion of the pupils is involved in the very good range of lunchtime and after-school clubs, which pupils really enjoy. A very good range of visits and visitors enrich the curriculum. For example, Year 6 pupils have a week-long field trip to Swanage, Year 2 pupils visit the Bethnal

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Grade: 1

Green Museum of Childhood, and staff from Dulwich Picture Gallery visit the school.

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Grade: 2

The quality of care, support and guidance is good. There are robust procedures to ensure Internet safety and risk assessments are carried out regularly. Procedures for safeguarding pupils are in place and meet requirements. There is a good system for tracking the progress of pupils with behavioural difficulties and effective procedures to secure good behaviour. Pupils who have learning difficulties and disabilities receive good support and guidance that helps them to make good progress. The school makes outstanding use of outside agencies to support pupils' well-being and learning, particularly those facing personal, social or family difficulties, that helps them overcome many barriers to learning. The academic progress each pupil makes is tracked and discussed at regular review meetings. It is used to target additional support where need but is not yet used to full effect to ensure that all pupils make consistently good progress over time. Pupils are set short-term challenging

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Grade: 2

targets for English and mathematics and find these helpful, although there is not a consistent approach for recording these targets and pupils' progress towards them.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management at all levels are good. There is a clear and shared understanding of the school's strengths and where improvements need to be made. The headteacher has high expectations and under her outstanding leadership, a strong and cohesive team has been built that shares her vision for improvement and pride in the school. The strong team ethos is a particularly successful feature of the school. Staff understand their responsibilities and are well supported, particularly by senior leaders, in developing the skills and expertise they need to fulfil their roles well. Monitoring and evaluation are systematic and involve subject leaders and governors in lesson observations. The outcomes of monitoring are used to develop the school's plan for improvement. There are many targets in the plan, not all of which are related specifically to improvement priorities, and it is not clear how the impact of actions on pupil achievement

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Grade: 2

will be precisely measured. Governors are well informed and provide a good balance of support and challenging. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Sherington Primary School, 3 °4 July 2007 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Sherington Primary School, 3 °4 July 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 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? 3 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 2 The behaviour of learners 3 The attendance of learners 2 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 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. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: Sherington Primary School, 3 °4 July 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? 9 of 10 Inspection Report: Sherington Primary School, 3 °4 July 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

13 July 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of Sherington Primary School,London,SE7 7JP Thank you for making us so welcome when we visited your school recently. We really enjoyed talking to you, looking at your work and seeing you in lessons. Your school is a good school where you make good progress in your work and are well cared for. You behave well, are polite and feel safe. You and your parents told us you enjoy school. You work hard for your teachers and appreciate the help and support you are given. Your teachers make the lessons interesting for you and let you know what you will be learning. We were particularly impressed with how you use your computer skills. We enjoyed looking at the school's website. You have lots of music and art which you enjoy and are also learning French. You take part in lots of different sporting activities. We were impressed to see some of the youngest pupils having a tennis

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

lesson. Perhaps we might see one of you playing at Wimbledon when you are older! To make your good school even better, we have asked the headteacher and teachers to help you make good progress all the time by giving you all different work that really challenges you and also to measure how well the school is improving your learning. Thank you again for making us so welcome and we hope that you carry on enjoying all the exciting things you do at school. With best wishes Jackie KrafftHer Majesty's Inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Sherington Primary School, 3 °4 July 2007

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