St John of Jerusalem Church of England Primary School

Inspection Report St John of Jerusalem Church of England Primary School

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100270 Unique Reference Number Hackney Local Authority 285758 Inspection number 20 °21 September 2006 Inspection dates Andrew Marfleet 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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Kingshold Road School address Primary Type of school London Voluntary aided School category E9 7JF 3 °11 Age range of pupils 020 8985 0730 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 020 8985 6337 Fax number 207 Number on roll (school) James Funnell Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Asarena Simon Headteacher 4 February 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 285758 20 °21 September 2006 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

St John of Jerusalem is a popular and oversubscribed Church of England primary school in an area of deprivation. A relatively high proportion of pupils are entitled to free school meals. Nearly two thirds of the pupils are from minority ethnic groups, but no one group predominates: White British are the largest group, followed by Caribbean and Black African groups. About one fifth of the pupils speak English as an additional language, with just a few at an early stage of learning the language. The headteacher, who had served as acting head for 18 months, was appointed as the substantive headteacher in January 2006, when the current deputy was also appointed.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: St John of Jerusalem Church of England Primary School, 20 °21 September 2006

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Grade: 2

St John of Jerusalem Primary is a good school. Its pupils achieve well and attain above average standards. Provision in the Foundation Stage is good, and children progress well during their time in the Nursery and Reception classes. A year ago, the overall picture in the school was much less positive. Standards fell sharply in 2005, particularly in the tests at the end of Year 6. In January 2006 the current headteacher and deputy were appointed and they have been able to bring about substantial improvement. Provisional results for 2006 show that Year 6 pupils make good progress: they reach above average standards that compare favourably with those in other schools. Year 2 pupils are also doing better, particularly in writing, and a relatively large proportion of them are reaching the higher levels. The secret of the success is mainly due to the attention the school has given to assessing and tracking

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Grade: 2

pupils' progress. On the basis of the information they have gathered, they have been able to identify under-achievement and provide effective learning support. The quality of this support has meant that lessons have become more challenging, individual needs have been met and, as a result, pupils have been able to achieve well. Other aspects of provision are also good. The curriculum is broad and balanced, with some good opportunities for enrichment. Pupils receive good care, guidance and support, not least in meeting challenging academic targets. Pupils' personal development is good. Pupils are well informed about staying healthy and safe, and most enjoy school, according to their parents. Attendance is in line with the national average. Through participation in the school council and other roles of responsibility pupils experience community involvement, and they raise money for various charities. They acquire the basic skills they will need in the future. Behaviour

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Grade: 2

is satisfactory: the school rarely if ever needs to exclude pupils, but low level disruption - children chatting, or calling out without being asked - can slow down progress in lessons. Senior staff are aware of this, and have identified the need to produce a clearer and more consistent behaviour policy. Leadership and management are good. What the school has achieved in a matter of months, under a new senior team, is impressive, but leaders know that they have only just begun and challenges still remain. There are several new teachers still settling into the school, and gaps in areas of subject leadership. Some relatively inexperienced staff will need to be supported so that they can quickly assume positions of responsibility. The systematic approach that has been applied to raising standards is an indication of the school's ability to rise to other challenges. It has a good capacity to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Help new and inexperienced teachers to settle in quickly and eventually to assume management roles. • Implement a more effective and consistent behaviour policy across the school. 2 Inspection Report: St John of Jerusalem Church of England Primary School, 20 °21 September 2006

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Grade: 2

Pupils' achievement is good. Their attainment when they join the school is average overall. The school is finding that an increasing number of pupils have difficulties with speech and language when they arrive. Pupils make good progress in the Foundation Stage, and this continues in Years 1 and 2. Assessments in 2006 showed that a higher than average number of pupils reached levels above those expected at the end of Year 2. Progress accelerates in Years 3 to 6. Although standards fell in 2005, the provisional test results for 2006 show that pupils are now leaving this school with above average standards in English, mathematics and science. Challenging targets are met or exceeded. Pupils for whom English is an additional language make good progress. Those with learning difficulties or disabilities also achieve as well as other pupils because of the good support they receive.

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Grade: 2

The school is a friendly community with a firm Christian ethos. Most pupils feel happy and safe and enjoy coming to school; attendance is in line with the national average. One pupil remarked, 'I like this school - the teachers do their best for the children to be happy'. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils is good. Children in the Foundation Stage settle quickly and happily into school and make good progress in their personal development, working and playing alongside and increasingly together with each other. Pupils further up the school behave satisfactorily, but some lose concentration in lessons and teachers have to work hard to keep them on task and not chatting amongst themselves. Most pupils feel they can draw on the help available from adults if they have problems or worries. Opinions differ as to how much bullying or racism, if any, happens, but the majority of pupils feel that incidents are

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Grade: 2

well dealt with when they occur. There is a high take up of the good range of out-of-hours sports opportunities and pupils speak enthusiastically about taking part in these. They know the importance of making healthy eating choices and taking exercise. They value the role of the school council, which undertakes its responsibilities very conscientiously. They help raise funds for several charities. Their good acquisition of basic skills shows they are well prepared for later life.

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Grade: 2

Good teaching and learning have led to the good recent achievement. Children in the Foundation Stage achieve well because the teaching is well organised and activities challenge and interest the children. The school has developed a rigorous system of checking the attainment of pupils and using the data to track the rate of progress 3 Inspection Report: St John of Jerusalem Church of England Primary School, 20 °21 September 2006 systematically and set challenging targets. Teachers use this information to organize their lessons around the needs of different pupils, and this is a real strength of the teaching here. Another strength is that teachers have high expectations of their pupils and of what they can achieve. Well-directed and capable teaching assistants also contribute significantly to lessons, particularly in supporting pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities so that they too can make good progress. All teachers,

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Grade: 2

including those new this term, are working hard to create a good working atmosphere but would benefit from sharper behaviour management strategies to ensure that pupils are sufficiently focused. The skilful use of information and communication technology (ICT), particularly through the electronic white boards, captures pupils' interest and allows teachers to model tasks effectively leading to better learning.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. It is broad and balanced and includes activities to help the pupils to develop a healthy and safe lifestyle. Provision of an interesting and challenging range of learning opportunities for the children in the Foundation Stage supports their good progress. A very good range of visits, visitors and other activities enhance the curriculum. ICT is increasingly used to support learning in other areas of the curriculum - an improvement since the last inspection. Specialist teachers are used to provide lessons in French and music to all pupils, and the school is proud of its reputation for participating in music festivals and other outside events. They recognise, however, that there are opportunities to enrich the taught curriculum further and to develop links between subjects to make the learning more interesting for all pupils.

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Grade: 2

Adults throughout the school are committed to its highly caring ethos. The school strives to be a friendly community where all learners are valued regardless of race or background and where all they feel secure and cared for. Pupils receive good academic guidance because of the effective use of assessment information to track individual progress and set challenging targets. It is also well used to plan appropriate tasks for all learners, and to target support where it is most needed - good examples being the speech and language help given to individuals or small groups and the input of the learning mentor. The school is especially supportive to those with learning difficulties and disabilities and emotional and behavioural problems. Partnerships with outside agencies are well used. Although more still needs to be done to improve behaviour, pupils are taught how to take care of themselves and to make healthy and safe choices,

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Grade: 2

and the school is working towards the National Healthy Schools' Award. 4 Inspection Report: St John of Jerusalem Church of England Primary School, 20 °21 September 2006

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Grade: 2

The school is well led and managed. The impact of the new headteacher and her deputy, following a period of instability in the school leadership, has already been felt, notably on the standards achieved. The expertise of the deputy headteacher has enabled teachers in a very short time to raise levels of achievement. They now use assessment information well to keep a check on pupils' progress and to identify those needing extra support. The senior team know their staff well because they monitor teaching and learning thoroughly. Consequently teachers and support staff are placed in the classes where they will be most effective. Inexperienced teachers are helped to settle into the school, and there is a good programme to help some of them assume positions of responsibility. At the moment, the headteacher and deputy are managing most subject areas until other staff are sufficiently trained to take over. The governing body

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Grade: 2

are actively involved in school life, particularly the Chair, who is the local Rector. Their experience has been helpful during a period of turbulence in the school. There are still things the school needs to do, such as implementing a more effective and consistent behaviour policy, but the actions taken already and good self evaluation show the good capacity of the leadership team to make further improvements. 5 Inspection Report: St John of Jerusalem Church of England Primary School, 20 °21 September 2006 .

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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: St John of Jerusalem Church of England Primary School, 20 °21 September 2006

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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? 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 3 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 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: St John of Jerusalem Church of England Primary School, 20 °21 September 2006

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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: St John of Jerusalem Church of England Primary School, 20 °21 September 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

On behalf of the inspectors, I would like to thank you for making us welcome at your school and a special thank you to those who talked to us. We enjoyed looking at your work and watching you in lessons and assemblies. There are some lively children in the school, and sometimes lessons were interrupted by unnecessary talking. But we believe that St John of Jerusalem Primary is a good school, and are not surprised that many families want their children to go there. Why we think your school is good: • You make good progress in your work and reach standards that compare well with those in other schools. • Your headteacher and deputy make a good team and lead the school well. • You are taught plenty of useful and interesting things. • The teachers and other staff have a very good understanding of how well you are doing, and they use this to help you to learn well and develop well as young people. • They support and look after you well, too.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

• You know how to stay safe, fit and healthy, and you attend school regularly. What we have asked your school to do now: • Help the new teachers to settle in quickly, so they can join in making the school run smoothly as well as teaching good lessons. • Make sure that all pupils behave well all the time. You can help, too, by showing respect to everyone and not chatting or calling out in lessons, for example. We want to wish you well in the future and hope that you will continue to enjoy your education. Yours sincerely, Andrew Marfleet Lead Inspector 9 Inspection Report: St John of Jerusalem Church of England Primary School, 20 °21 September 2006

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