Miles Coverdale Primary School

Miles Coverdale Primary School Inspection report

p.1

100326 Unique Reference Number Hammersmith and Fulham Local Authority 285767 Inspection number 22 March 2007 Inspection date Barry Jones Reporting inspector

p.1

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.1

Primary Type of school Community School category 3 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 237 School

p.1

The governing body Appropriate authority Ms Michelle Gordon Chair Ms Anne Hennessy Headteacher 3 March 2003 Date of previous school inspection Coverdale Road School address Shepherds Bush London W12 8JJ

p.1

020 8743 5847 Telephone number 020 8749 6473 Fax number

p.1

3 °11 Age group 22 March 2007 Inspection date 285767 Inspection number .

p.1

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Introduction

The inspection was carried out by an Additional Inspector.

p.3

Description of the school

Miles Coverdale is an inner-city school serving a very disadvantaged community. The school is not fully subscribed. It has higher proportions of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and who speak English as an additional language than most schools. About half of new pupils are at the early stages of learning English. A significant number of pupils, some of whom are refugees and asylum seekers, live in temporary accommodation. Consequently, the proportion of pupils who join or leave the school at unusual times is high. Attainment on entry to the school is low. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is higher than in most schools. A specialist unit for pupils with speech and communication difficulties is based at the school. It has 18 pupils, aged 4 to 7 years, attending. Over the last three years there has been a high turnover of teaching and support staff. Only one of the current mainstream teachers

p.3

Description of the school

was teaching in the school during the previous inspection in 2003.

p.3

Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Miles Coverdale Primary School, 22 March 2007

p.3

Grade: 2

Miles Coverdale is a very good school with outstanding features. It has successfully come through three years when it has experienced significant staffing difficulties. A major reason has been the excellent leadership of the headteacher and her ability to motivate staff. She is imaginative and innovative and makes very effective use of the resources at her disposal. Children start with low communication skills but make good progress in the Foundation Stage because of the good teaching they receive. Standards at the end of Year 6 vary but are broadly average. This represents very good achievement overall, with pupils in the unit making outstanding progress. Performance dipped in both key stages in 2006, particularly in science at Year 6. The school has worked exceptionally hard and successfully to maintain the good quality of teaching, despite the changes in staff. However, it has not always been able to make

p.4

Grade: 2

suitable appointments and has had to rely on the use of temporary staff on occasion, reducing the quality of teaching in some classes. This makes pupils' progress through the school inconsistent, though still good overall. Where weaknesses in teaching are identified, the school has taken robust but supportive actions that have led to improvement. The staffing in the unit has been stable and the school has made good use of the expertise there to support teaching in the main school through well organised teamwork. Joint teaching of the pupils in the unit and those in Year 2 raised the quality of teaching for science in Year 2 and significantly improved results in 2006. The school is a thriving, harmonious community and is very welcoming. As one parent wrote, `The headteacher and staff are always so friendly and approachable, available to listen to any concerns.' The school values highly the diversity of the pupils' backgrounds and encourages

p.4

Grade: 2

them to learn from one another. The good role modelling from adults generates a very positive ethos in the school that underpins pupils' excellent personal development and well-being. It means that pupils who join the school, sometimes for relatively short periods, are welcomed, accepted and fully included in activities. The behaviour of the great majority of the pupils is very good. Pupils thoroughly enjoy school and value the range of experiences that they receive through a good curriculum. Their positive attitudes to school are shown by their good attendance. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities receive excellent support and consequently make excellent progress. High priority is given to developing pupils' language and literacy from the Nursery class onwards. The school benefits from having a resident speech and language therapist and makes very good use of this resource. Pupils with little English

p.4

Grade: 2

initially receive well-targeted support. This means that they quickly acquire skills in the English language, enabling them to participate fully in other subjects too. School leaders have succeeded in maintaining pupils' high achievement in very challenging circumstances. The outstanding contribution of the headteacher shines through. The senior leadership team is comparatively new but already having a positive impact. Consequently, capacity for further improvement is good.

p.4

What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure that pupils make good progress in science in Key Stage 2 • Improve the recruitment and retention of teachers so that the teaching and progress in each class is at least good. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Miles Coverdale Primary School, 22 March 2007

p.4

Grade: 2

The attainment of children when they enter Nursery or Reception are well below expected levels. Even though they make good progress standards are still below average when they enter Year 1. Most of the pupils who are new to learning English are in the Foundation Stage or in Key Stage 1. They do well and consequently exceed their targets. Value added for bilingual learners at the end of Key Stage 2 is very good. In 2005, the school attained results in the Year 6 national tests that were average overall and significantly above average in English. Pupils consistently achieve highly, though results fluctuate from year to year. Performance dipped in science in 2006 but achievement was nevertheless still very good overall. A higher proportion than nationally attained the expected level in each of English, mathematics and science; fewer attained the highest level. Two fifths of the pupils joined after the start of Year 3 but these pupils made very good progress. Results also fell in

p.5

Grade: 2

the national assessments at the end of Key Stage 1 in 2006 and no pupil attained the highest level in mathematics. However, a quarter of these pupils only joined the school in Year 2 and there was insufficient time for them to make up lost ground. Current variability in the quality of teaching between classes means that the progress made by pupils is also variable, but it is good overall. Knowing this, the school takes robust action to achieve excellence in all aspects of its work. It is very inclusive and no group of pupils underachieves; most make good or better progress.

p.5

Grade: 1

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. They are successfully promoted through the complete range of the school's work. It is this whole-school approach that is key to the pupils' excellent development. For instance, rights and responsibilities are frequently discussed in different contexts. There is a small minority of pupils who misbehave on occasion and consequently a few parents say that behaviour in the school is not always satisfactory. However, the school has a range of strategies, including very effective support from a learning mentor and external agencies. Consequently, these pupils show a marked improvement in behaviour while at the school and this shows in their very good academic progress too. No pupils were excluded, even for short periods, during the academic year 2005-2006.The behaviour of most pupils is very good and contributes significantly to the calm,

p.5

Grade: 1

orderly atmosphere in the school. The school council is relatively new but feels that its views are valued. Pupils are willing to take on responsibility and contribute well to the wider community by raising funds for charity. Pupils are very well prepared for moving on to secondary schools.

p.5

Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. The teaching in Year 6 is outstanding and in the unit is very good and consequently pupils in these classes make the best progress.The school has also ensured that this good practice is shared with less experienced teachers. Weekly planning is good and the teachers manage their classes well. In most classes the planning caters for the needs of pupils with differing abilities. However, some daily plans do not make it clear what is 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Miles Coverdale Primary School, 22 March 2007 expected of the pupils in a particular lesson. As a result of half-termly monitoring and feedback to teachers there is more attention to both high and low attaining pupils. This has helped teachers to make effective use of additional support in the classroom. In the last three years, there have been relatively high numbers of inexperienced, newly-qualified and temporary

p.5

Grade: 2

teachers. This has led to some pupils making slower progress . However, effective strategies by the school, including planning in teams, has meant that the weaker teaching has improved and pupils' progress has remained good overall.

p.6

Grade: 2

The curriculum in the Foundation Stage is a good balance of adult-led activities and opportunities for children to learn independently through well-structured play. There is very good provision for pupils' personal and social education throughout the school. Heath education is promoted well. Consequently, pupils have a good understanding of healthy living issues although not all choose a healthy lunch. There is excellent provision for developing pupils' literacy and language skills and the school is constantly seeking further improvements. For instance, a new initiative has just started for improving the speaking skills of younger pupils through practical experiences. The curriculum is adapted to reflect the multi-cultural make up of the pupils in the school. There is a good range of after-school clubs and trips. The school is now planning to provide better links between subjects through a more topic-based approach.

p.6

Grade: 2

The number of computers has been considerably enhanced this year. teachers are undertaking additional training and consequently they are being used more in a range of subjects.

p.6

Grade: 1

Care, guidance and support are outstanding and pupils feel very safe as a result. The unit is an integral part of the school and exemplifies the way that every child matters and is fully included in the life of the school. The school has spare places. Consequently, it often accommodates pupils who have had difficulties in other schools, including some who had been taught at home for periods. The school is very successful with these pupils. As one parent wrote, `My son really disliked his previous school and was very unhappy. Since he started at Miles Coverdale he has made excellent progress and now really enjoys coming to school.' It also has very good induction programmes for pupils who join at unusual times and works very closely with external agencies to support them. They settle quickly and, over time, make very good progress academically and socially. The school is very reflective and is always seeking to do the very best for its pupils.

p.6

Grade: 1

For instance, there are an increasing number of Somali and Polish pupils. The school is actively helping parents to access networks and this helps the families, and hence the children, to settle. Academic guidance is good; the pupils know their targets and what they have to do to improve.

p.6

Grade: 2

The headteacher, senior leaders and the governors have a clear shared vision and the school strives very hard and successfully to ensure that every child develops well academically and socially. However, the high turnover has meant the school has been stretched in some areas of management. For instance, this was the case in the Foundation Stage following the retirements of key staff and means that the school does not have confidence in some of the 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Miles Coverdale Primary School, 22 March 2007 assessments of pupils' skills made in the recent past. This has been rectified and the Foundation Stage is now well managed. All teachers are effectively inducted, mentored and monitored. The school has improved the quality of teaching through training and monitoring with constructive feedback. Following restructuring, all subjects are co-ordinated and led through a team approach. This has started well but it is too early to judge the impact on standards. The

p.6

Grade: 2

use of performance data is good generally and the school is accurate in its overall evaluation of pupils' progress. However, its analysis of the achievement of pupils who join the school other than the usual times is underdeveloped. The challenge for the new senior leadership team is to demonstrate that it can raise the quality of teaching further and sustain the very good achievements of the pupils. The governors support and challenge the school well. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Miles Coverdale Primary School, 22 March 2007 .

p.7

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: Miles Coverdale Primary School, 22 March 2007

p.8

Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

p.9

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

p.9

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 1 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

p.9

learners?

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

p.9

and interests of learners?

1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

p.9

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: Miles Coverdale Primary School, 22 March 2007

p.9

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: Miles Coverdale Primary School, 22 March 2007

p.10

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you very much for your help when I visited your school recently. You told me that Miles Coverdale is a very good school and I agree. You told me how you enjoy coming to school, feel safe there and that the teachers care for you. You were keen to tell me how you all get along whatever your race or beliefs. The school council is comparatively new but some of its members told me how their ideas have been valued by the school. You are rightly proud of your school. The things I like most about your school are: • Relationships are excellent • You achieve well in your Year 6 SATs • The unit is a real strength of the school • The teachers are very caring and look after you very well • Your excellent headteacher knows you all very well • You develop into confident, mature young people. There are two things that I have asked the school to do in order to make things even better: • Ensure that the older children do as well in science as they do in English and mathematics

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

• Make sure the teaching is good in all classes. I wish you continuing success in the future. Yours faithfully Barry JonesLead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Miles Coverdale Primary School, 22 March 2007

p.11