Greenslade Primary School

Greenslade Primary School Inspection report

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100162 Unique Reference Number Greenwich Local Authority 285732 Inspection number 28 June 2007 Inspection date Ian Wilson 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 240 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Jackie O'Boyle Chair Mr David Ashley Headteacher 10 February 2003 Date of previous school inspection Erindale School address Plumstead Common London SE18 2QQ

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020 8316 6847 Telephone number 020 8855 6767 Fax number

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3 °11 Age group 28 June 2007 Inspection date 285732 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 Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

Greenslade Primary School is an average sized school which serves an area of high social deprivation. The percentage of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is well above average, with the largest groups being pupils of Black African origin. A high percentage of pupils speak English as an additional language. Panjabi is the most common first language among these pupils. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties is above average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Greenslade Primary School, 28 June 2007

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Grade: 2

Greenslade is a good school with outstanding features. It has a very strong inclusive ethos, in which relationships are excellent, individuals are known and valued and all are equally enabled to achieve well. Pupils are happy, enjoy learning and develop confidence and self-esteem. Parents are overwhelmingly pleased with the school. ''I am a very happy parent because my daughter is so positive about her school experience' was a typical comment. Most children start school with levels of knowledge and skills that are below those expected and well below in some areas such as communication skills. They make good overall progress in the Foundation Stage and throughout the school. By the time they leave school in Year 6 pupils are attaining standards that match those expected for pupils of their age. All groups of pupils achieve equally well, including those with learning difficulties and those speaking English

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Grade: 2

as an additional language, because the school is so successful at promoting equal opportunities for all pupils. The good progress pupils make is a result of good overall teaching, an excellent curriculum which makes learning really enjoyable and excellent care which ensures that all pupils are given the support they need. Although a high proportion of teaching is outstanding some teaching is less well matched to pupils' needs and develops their skills less well. The school helps pupils to develop very well personally, socially, emotionally and spiritually. Pupils know about the importance of staying safe and healthy, are very good at taking responsibility and take action to make a difference to the lives of others, for example being involved in fundraising for charity. Their behaviour is excellent. The school is very well led by the headteacher supported by the very capable deputy headteacher. Strong subject leadership, such as in English, is having a very clear impact on

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Grade: 2

raising standards. Standards are not rising as fast in some other areas, where subject leadership is less well developed. Planning is effectively based on an accurate evaluation of strengths and weaknesses. Consequently, the school has improved well since its last inspection and has a good capacity to continue to improve.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve teaching so that it is consistently at least good throughout the school. • Strengthen the role of middle managers in leading subjects so that they contribute more consistently to raising standards.

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Grade: 2

The achievement of pupils is good and both standards and achievement are improving steadily throughout the school. In Years 1 and 2 standards have risen from being below average and pupils are now attaining at the expected levels by the end of Year 2. In Years 3 to 6 standards have also risen. They were below average in recent years and are now average by the end of Year 6. In English standards are above average at the higher levels. This good progress is a result of the good and sometimes outstanding teaching and an outstanding curriculum which meets most pupils' needs well. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Greenslade Primary School, 28 June 2007 Consistently strong teaching and a high quality curriculum enable pupils to progress very well in the Foundation Stage. By the end of the Reception year children are meeting the expected levels in most areas of learning, though still below in some aspects of English, because of their

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Grade: 2

particularly low starting points. Pupils with learning difficulties and those learning English as an additional language are supported very well and, as a result, they also make good progress towards their learning targets.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. Relationships in the school are excellent and pupils commented on how they all get on well with each other and look after one another. They also said how much they enjoy learning. Their attendance is improving steadily as a result. Pupils' behaviour is excellent. Pupils eat healthily and know about the importance of exercise. Physical education lessons are popular and pupils participate enthusiastically at break times in active games such as cricket. They know about how to keep safe, for example, they know about road safety, avoiding strangers and the problems associated with drugs. Activities such as circle time are very popular and help enable pupils to learn about themselves and others, share feelings and resolve issues well. These, combined with very good opportunities to take responsibility around school such as being monitors or members of the very effective school council, help them successfully develop

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Grade: 1

confidence and high self-esteem. Parents are very pleased with how well the school helps their children to develop, commenting, for example, 'There is a very caring, nurturing ethos which develops the whole child...emotional development and behaviour are very good.' Pupils are well prepared for the next steps in their learning, because of this and because of their sound range of literacy, mathematics and information and communication technology (ICT) skills.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good overall, including the Foundation Stage, and enable all groups of pupils to make good progress. Teachers manage their classes very well. They prepare interesting lessons that pupils enjoy, maintain a good pace and match work well to pupils' needs. They make good use of ICT, such as electronic whiteboards that stimulate interest and help pupils learn. There is quite a high proportion of outstanding teaching but some also that is satisfactory. This is because the work in these lessons is not so well matched to pupils' needs because it is sometimes insufficiently challenging for higher attaining pupils and does not ensure that some skills, such as number skills, are secure.The additional support provided for vulnerable pupils, pupils with learning difficulties and those who are in the early stages of learning English meets their needs very well. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Greenslade Primary School, 28 June 2007

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Grade: 1

The curriculum throughout the school is outstanding. It is rich and varied with very good links between subjects that help make learning relevant and enjoyable for pupils. There is a very good emphasis on creative activities, resulting in art and design work of a very high standard. For example, a parent commented, 'The creative curriculum has really suited my son. He is moving to secondary school with high self-esteem, despite his difficulties'. Recent work on developing English is contributing exceptionally well to increasing pupils' interest in reading, helping them improve their writing and resulting in rising standards in English. The regular use of computers helps the pupils to make very good progress and become competent users of ICT. All pupils have excellent opportunities to learn to speak Spanish. The curriculum, both through lessons and additional activities, contributes exceptionally well

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Grade: 1

to pupils' personal development. For example, in a Year 1 literacy lesson, pupils acted out roles which helped them understand and then be able to write about feelings and emotions. The curriculum for the Foundation Stage also contributes very effectively to pupils' social and emotional development. The varied range of extra activities that the school organises is outstanding and includes specially themed days and weeks, many educational visits and visitors to the school and residential trips.

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Grade: 1

Care, support and guidance are outstanding. Teachers and support staff know pupils and their needs well. The attention paid to individual needs results in outstanding inclusion of pupils. For example, pupils with quite severe emotional and behavioural needs are very successfully integrated into a number of classes. Health and safety issues are promoted very well by the school. Risk assessments are carried out and there are very good arrangements for child protection. There are good arrangements for tracking pupils' progress throughout the school and these are used very well to identify those pupils needing support and then providing it, making excellent use of outside agencies where needed. The school's personal, social and health education programme helps deal with the challenges they are likely to meet in their everyday lives, for example, raising awareness of racism and the dangers of drugs.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good overall. The headteacher provides very good leadership and he is well supported by a small, very competent team made up of the deputy headteacher and middle managers. Leaders share a sense of purpose and common values which include high expectations for all who work in the school, the development of every individual and enjoyable, meaningful learning for all pupils. All the issues raised in the last inspection have been addressed successfully. For example, the curriculum has improved dramatically, a deficit budget has been dealt with and the role of 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Greenslade Primary School, 28 June 2007 support staff developed very well. Standards are rising and the school successfully meets challenging targets, showing a good capacity to continue to improve. Improvements have been brought about by very good planning, substantial staff development and regular monitoring, particularly by the headteacher and deputy headteacher. The school

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Grade: 2

improvement plan, which is developed with all staff, has appropriate priorities because the school very accurately evaluates its strengths and weaknesses very well. The school recognises that subject leadership is stronger in some areas than others and that it needs to be developed more in order to improve standards and pupils' progress further. Governors are committed and supportive. They carry out their statutory duties and manage the budget well. Their role in monitoring the work of the school and questioning its performance is underdeveloped. The school uses its resources well. Links with parents and local and national organisations are outstanding. This is exemplified to the way the school supports families of pupils needing particular help. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Greenslade Primary School, 28 June 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. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Greenslade Primary School, 28 June 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 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?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The behaviour of learners 2 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?

1 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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Greenslade Primary School, 28 June 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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Greenslade Primary School, 28 June 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

9 July 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of Greenslade Primary School,London,SE18 2QQ You may remember that I recently came to visit your school. I really enjoyed my visit and meeting you, your teachers and other people who work in the school. I am writing to let you know what I found out. I think that you are lucky to go to a good school. You are very well looked after and are taught well. The school does a lot to make learning enjoyable for you such as planning interesting lessons and arranging lots of visits and having visitors to the school. You learn about how to keep safe, eat healthily and develop as a person. You behave really well and are very good at looking after each other. Because of all of this, you do well at school. The school is very well led by your headteacher with the support of other staff. I have made just two suggestions as to what the school can do to improve further: • improve teaching even more so that all the lessons are as good as they possibly could be.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

• help you achieve even higher standards by involving more teachers in developing the different subjects you learn. Thank you again for being so friendly. I enjoyed meeting you and send you my best wishes for the future. Yours sincerely, Ian WilsonLead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Greenslade Primary School, 28 June 2007

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