St Barnabas and St Philip's CofE Primary School

Inspection Report St Barnabas and St Philip's CofE Primary School

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100493 Unique Reference Number Kensington and Chelsea Local Authority 285815 Inspection number 14 °15 February 2007 Inspection dates Kekshan Salaria 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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58 Earls Court Road School address Primary Type of school Kensington Voluntary aided School category London W8 6EJ 4 °11 Age range of pupils 02079379599 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 02079382406 Fax number 205 Number on roll (school) Rev Tom Gillum Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Chris Doyle Headteacher 21 May 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 285815 14 °15 February 2007 4°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 one of Her Majesty's Inspectors and an Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

St Barnabas and St Philip's CE Primary School is a Voluntary Aided Church of England school serving a socially and economically diverse community in central London. The school is highly oversubscribed. Attainment on entry to the school is variable but is broadly in line with national expectations. The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is above the national average. The percentage of pupils from minority ethnic heritages is very high. English is an additional language for 47 per cent of pupils, which is a very high proportion. The school has identified 10 per cent of pupils as having learning difficulties and disabilities, a figure well below the national average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: St Barnabas and St Philip's CofE Primary School, 14 °15 February 2007

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Grade: 1

St Barnabas and St Philip's CE Primary is an outstanding school where pupils achieve very well. The staff work very hard to make the best possible academic and personal provision for every child. Throughout the school, all pupils make very good progress because of the good teaching, underpinned by the clear vision and outstanding leadership of the headteacher. Pupils enjoy school very much; their behaviour, attitudes to learning and personal development are excellent. The school provides very good value for money. The outstanding provision in the reception class ensures children make good progress in all areas of learning and achieve standards that are above expected levels. Consequently, from average starting points pupils attain standards which are high in English, mathematics and science by the time they leave the school. Teachers make good use of assessment data to track pupils' performance, and very

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Grade: 1

good provision is made for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities. More able pupils do well, particularly in English and science, where a very large proportion reaches the higher levels. The teachers make very good use of the school's extremely strong links with parents and the local community to enhance the quality of the outstanding curriculum. Attendance and punctuality are improving. Systems such as certificates that reward good attendance are having a positive impact. However, this still requires more work to reach national expectations. Outstanding leadership and management have led to good improvement since the last inspection. Although governors are highly supportive of the school, they are not sufficiently involved in planning the school's future and monitoring what it does. Parents think very highly of the school. Typical of their comments are, 'I think this is an excellent school. We feel lucky that our children are attending'. There is excellent

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Grade: 1

capacity to keep on improving given the school's track record in raising standards and maintaining good teaching.

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What the school should do to improve further

• work with parents to improve their children's attendance and punctuality • develop the strategic role and involvement of the governing body in school.

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Grade: 1

Achievement is outstanding and standards are high. When pupils start their reception year, their attainment is as expected for this age. All pupils, including those with learning difficulties and disabilities and those from minority ethnic backgrounds, make very good progress and the majority attain high standards by the time they leave the school. Pupils with English as an additional language make rapid progress towards fluency in the language. The school sets challenging targets for pupils in English and mathematics, and pupils generally meet these. The school provides very well-gauged 2 Inspection Report: St Barnabas and St Philip's CofE Primary School, 14 °15 February 2007 support for pupils who need extra help. Consequently no groups of pupils underachieve. Nevertheless, the school is not complacent. Its self-evaluation procedures indicate that it is unrelenting in its ambitions for pupils. As a result, it has developed well

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Grade: 1

thought out strategies for ensuring that pupils make even better progress in mathematics. At the time of the last inspection, provision in information and communication technology (ICT) was unsatisfactory. This is now good and the school has clear plans to ensure pupils' achievement rises further.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is outstanding. A strong focus on increasing pupils' self esteem results in pupils of all ages approaching their work and play with obvious enjoyment, enthusiasm and confidence. Self-assessment skills are encouraged. The school councillors report that their teachers "expect only the best for us and will support us to make sure that we do well in school". Responsibilities are given in the classrooms and pupils flourish in this safe, happy and supportive environment. Behaviour is excellent and where pupils may stray away from expectations, they are put back on track with positive guidance. This results in pupils understanding what they have done and how to correct this. Pupils have the opportunity to present class assemblies regularly and this helps them to work collaboratively and boost their confidence. Inspectors observed Year 5

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Grade: 1

presenting a focused demonstration of their geography, mathematics and ICT skills to the whole school that kept the school enthralled and focused. The quality of both the work and demonstration was excellent and pupils of all abilities were involved. Relationships are a strength of the school and staff and pupils of all levels are involved in the vibrancy of the provision available. Year 6 pupils assist the younger pupils in their debating skills through a forum and school council pupils help others problem-solve issues that arise. Attendance and punctuality are improving and there are many structures and systems such as certificates that reward good attendance. This still requires more work to reach national expectations. The playground is small but the school provides many activities during lunch time that occupy the pupils positively. The school has achieved its healthy school status focusing on developments with school lunches. Regular monitoring by staff shows that pupils

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Grade: 1

frequently choose to eat healthy packed lunches and healthy fruit break snacks. Pupils have excellent literacy and numeracy skills but they have limited opportunities to make the best use of these in working together to solve everyday problems in the wider community. 3 Inspection Report: St Barnabas and St Philip's CofE Primary School, 14 °15 February 2007

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Grade: 2

Overall teaching and learning are good with features of outstanding practice. Pupils are well taught and as a result make very good progress. Teachers create a purposeful working atmosphere where pupils understand what they are expected to achieve, enjoy their learning and are willing to work hard. In general, teachers have high expectations. Reading is very well taught, for example, through buddy systems, silent and guided reading. In mathematics, teachers focus on teaching good number skills, and are beginning to help pupils to apply these to unfamiliar situations. Teachers and pupils are making good use of ICT to support learning. In most classes, lessons are lively and pupils are encouraged to think for themselves. The work builds well on pupils' existing knowledge and understanding and takes account of different needs. The marking of pupils' work is not yet consistent. Much is extremely useful to pupils but some does

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Grade: 2

little to show them how they might do better. Teaching assistants are very effectively deployed; they achieve an excellent balance of timely intervention and promoting independent learning.

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Grade: 1

The school provides an excellent curriculum that gives pupils rich experiences and plays a central part in their outstanding achievement and personal development. Subjects are linked together well to enhance pupils' understanding and make learning enjoyable. Senior leaders monitor closely what is taught and new initiatives may be piloted and followed by a professional dialogue before being fully implemented. ICT plays a key role in provision and has been enhanced as a result of the innovative work of the subject leader. Mathematics is being reviewed in line with the revised national strategy and much development work is in place. The curriculum is enhanced by regular visits locally and further afield. Year 6 pupils benefit from a residential trip to Dartmoor each year. Extra-curricular provision is exceptionally strong with pupils and parents requesting additional clubs as part of a questionnaire to assess interests. This seamless

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Grade: 1

curricular provision enhances learning and enjoyment well beyond the school day.

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Grade: 1

This is a school that cares passionately about its pupils and staff. Care, guidance and support is at the heart of the school's work and the welfare and safety of pupils is demonstrated in the thoughtful way that staff talk to and about the pupils in their care. Newly arrived pupils who find English acquisition a challenge undergo a sensitive induction process involving teachers and other 'buddy' pupils. Pupils report that they feel safe in the school and are encouraged to reach their true potential through careful pupil and staff 'learning' and 'professional' conversations that focus the needs and 4 Inspection Report: St Barnabas and St Philip's CofE Primary School, 14 °15 February 2007 interests of the pupils. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities make very good progress as do those with English as an additional language. Assessment and tracking systems are exceptional and are used to check closely on the progress of each pupil.

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Grade: 1

Effective intervention is put in place to support underperforming pupils, and parents are closely involved with the progress of their children. Arrangements for the safeguarding of pupils are robust and regularly reviewed as are any risks associated with external educational visits.

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Grade: 1

Leadership and management are outstanding. The headteacher provides exemplary leadership and a clear vision for school improvement. He is instrumental in ensuring that pupils' well-being and inclusion are at the heart of the school's ethos and work. There is a very effective and strongly motivated leadership team which has a clear sense of direction and is focused on raising standards. Middle managers provide good leadership. Throughout the school, monitoring and evaluation processes are highly effective and they provide a detailed and comprehensive picture of the full range of the school's provision and standards. All monitoring information, including the excellent use made of the range of data that have been gathered, is used very well to contribute to the school's development plan. There is very close attention to minute detail, and this meticulous approach has helped to ensure that there has been very positive impact

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Grade: 1

in each of the areas identified for development. These successes indicate that the school has significant capacity for further improvement. The school recruits many new young teachers and brings out the best in them. Their fresh ideas are welcomed and their potential is developed so they can take responsibility early. Governors are committed, and supportive of the school. The leadership team take most of the responsibility for monitoring the quality of provision and standards, but governors could do more to test the school's view through greater direct involvement. They are aware that the role of the subject leaders needs to be strengthened in this respect. 5 Inspection Report: St Barnabas and St Philip's CofE Primary School, 14 °15 February 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: St Barnabas and St Philip's CofE Primary School, 14 °15 February 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? 1 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

1 How well do learners achieve? 1 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

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learners?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The behaviour of learners 3 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. 7 Inspection Report: St Barnabas and St Philip's CofE Primary School, 14 °15 February 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: St Barnabas and St Philip's CofE Primary School, 14 °15 February 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for making us feel so welcome and helping us during the inspection. We agree with your opinion that yours is an excellent school. We checked out many things about your school and this is what we found: • you really appreciate all of the extra interesting and exciting activities that the school provides for you • your behaviour is excellent and you and your parents and carers are very proud of your school • the combination of good teaching and your hard work means that you make excellent progress and reach high standards • your school is a safe place and you know that if you have a problem, there is always an adult to talk to • your headteacher runs the school tremendously well and makes sure that everyone learns well together and every child matters. The headteacher wants to keep on improving it and he and the staff know just how to do that. We have asked your school to improve a few things to make it even better. In particular, we

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

have asked them to continue to work with parents to improve your attendance and punctuality and to continue to develop the role and involvement of the governing body in school. We hope that you continue to enjoy coming to school, work hard and do well in the future. Kekshan Salaria Her Majesty's Inspector 9 Inspection Report: St Barnabas and St Philip's CofE Primary School, 14 °15 February 2007

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