Twin Oaks Primary School

Age group 5 - 11 Inspection date(s) 20 June 2007 Inspection number 285854 Unique Reference Number 100712 Local Authority Lewisham Inspection number 285854 Inspection dates 20 June 2007 Reporting inspector Ann Berger HMI

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

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Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 5 - 11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number on roll School 198

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Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mrs K Canniffe Headteacher Mr C Voller Date of previous school inspection 11 - 13 June 2001

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School address Scawen Road London SE8 5AE Telephone number 020 8692 4321 Fax number 020 8692 6781 Sir Francis Drake Primary School Inspection report Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk 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. Document reference number: HMI 2507 01 April 2007

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out one Her Majesty’s Inspector of Schools.

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Introduction

The inspector evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues: the progress the pupils make in the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1, the contribution of initiatives to improving standards, gathering evidence from lesson observation, discussions with pupils and staff, scrutiny of work and reviewing the data the school uses to track the progress the pupils make. Other aspects of the school’s work were not investigated in detail, but the inspector found no evidence to suggest that the school’s own assessments, as given its self- evaluation, were not justified, and these have been included where appropriate in this report.

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Description of the school

Sir Francis Drake Primary School is an average sized primary school educating boys and girls between four and eleven, serving the inner city area of Deptford. Until recently it was federated with another local primary school which was facing very challenging circumstances. Three quarters of its pupils, including the 30 children in Reception, come from minority ethnic backgrounds and a very high proportion, three quarters, speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the school

Forty-nine pupils are at an early stage of learning English and these are mainly the younger pupils. When most pupils start school their knowledge of English and their social skills are much lower than expected for their age as are learning attitudes and behaviour. Number skills are average but other aspects of mathematical understanding are well below national expectations for most pupils.

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Description of the school

The levels of deprivation in the estates around the school are severe and over half of the pupils receive free school meals, which is a very high proportion. About 10% pupils come from relatively affluent backgrounds. Their parents have made an informed choice, although they may have moved miles away. The school is oversubscribed and mobility is below average for the area, being 12.9% last year,

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Description of the school

The school has 45 pupils on its register for special educational needs, mainly for literacy or behavioural difficulties and four pupils have statements of special educational need. These numbers are broadly average.

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Key for inspection grades

Grade 1 Outstanding Grade 2 Good Grade 3 Satisfactory Grade 4 Inadequate

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Overall effectiveness of the school Grade: 1

This school is outstanding. The academic performance of the pupils in English mathematics and science is exceptional and the proportion of pupils achieving the expected levels is very high.

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Overall effectiveness of the school Grade: 1

The pupils make fantastic progress in the Foundation Stage. The most able pupils, after one year in the school, are working at standards well above national expectations and most of the other pupils have made up for lost time and have reached expected levels ready to move into Key Stage 1. Improvements in this area of the school have been achieved because previous performance was reviewed rigorously. Difficult decisions were taken and they have paid off. The greater focus on exploration and play without losing the importance of acquiring good basic literacy and language skills has accelerated the pupils’ progress. The school has recognized in their planning that a further rise in expectations will be possible as these pupils move through the school.

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Overall effectiveness of the school Grade: 1

The trend set in the Foundation Stage continues in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 and by the end of their time in the school the pupils reach standards well above the national average.

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Overall effectiveness of the school Grade: 1

The sustained and highly successful leadership of the headteacher is central to ensuring that the focus on accelerating progress is always a priority. Over his 11 years as leader he has earned the respect of teachers, parents and pupils as well as other leaders in education. The senior leadership team has also proved itself to be highly effective. They led the school on a day to day basis during the three years of the federation and standards continued to rise. They bring a wealth of experience and stability to the school. The arrangements for self-evaluation are exceptionally strong and well-embedded. Teachers’ general skills in planning and delivering lessons as well as their strengths and weaknesses across the curriculum are evaluated rigorously and areas for improvements are linked to performance targets and professional development opportunities. This has resulted in very consistent teaching and learning which is nearly always good and very often outstanding. They observe

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Overall effectiveness of the school Grade: 1

each other and are open and honest in their evaluations. It is to the credit of everyone that standards are so high.

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Overall effectiveness of the school Grade: 1

Parents also expressed very high levels of satisfaction with the school. One parent commented, ‘I am extremely pleased with my child’s education. His learning has been very well supported and I receive very good feedback about how my child is doing’.

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Overall effectiveness of the school Grade: 1

The rigorous focus on teaching and learning and rigorous assessment of the pupils’ performance has led to standards rising to their current level. The feedback for parents and pupils is very detailed. Parents receive weekly reports about pupils’ behaviour and learning which help them in turn to support the school. The pupils understand very well what is expected of them and the reward points help to reinforce this. The school excels in helping pupils to develop as individuals. There is an exceptional emphasis on developing language skills in the context of relationships and as a result pupils are able to articulate their feelings. As one pupil said, ‘I am given time to express my feelings so I don’t bottle things up any more till I explode’. Everyone is valued and different cultures in the school are celebrated. The very few racist incidents are tackled head on and difficult issues are always discussed and

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Overall effectiveness of the school Grade: 1

resolved. The pupils’ behaviour and their attitudes to their school and work are outstanding. They are developing a very good understanding of how to stay safe and keep healthy. They work very well with each other and team work is constantly emphasised. They have also made a major contribution to the schools’ success by their commitment to telling staff what they like and what they would like to change. All suggestions are considered carefully and discussed.

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Overall effectiveness of the school Grade: 1

The current curriculum is very good. It is well designed for the pupils, for example, by including a wide range of opportunities to learn about other cultures. The pupils expressed their enjoyment of their subjects, in particular the many opportunities for active learning in school and the huge variety of trips and extended residential opportunities. Art is also a great strength. However, even outstanding schools have areas which would benefit from development. The school agrees with the inspector that specialist teachers have been used to great effect where they develop and train class teachers but there remain some inconsistencies with regards to subject expertise in a few classes and the curriculum is not yet fully responsive to the needs of individual classes.

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What the school should do to improve further

 Continue with the monitoring and support for teachers in developing greater subject expertise  Review the curriculum in the light of a larger number of pupils achieving higher levels. procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.

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Inspection judgements

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

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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? The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes

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Achievement and standards

How well do learners achieve? 1 The standards 1 reached by learners 1

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Personal development and well-being

How good is the overall personal development and well-being of the learners? The extent of learners’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 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 1 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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Personal development and well-being

1 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.

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Personal development and well-being

All white boxes must be completed. The grey boxes are used wherever the inspection team has sufficient evidence to come to a secure judgement.

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The quality of provision

How effective are teaching and learning in meeting the full range of learners’ needs? How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? How well are learners cared for, guided and supported? 1

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Leadership and management

How effective are leadership and management in raising achievement and supporting all learners? Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? Yes Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? No

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Inspection of Sir Francis Drake Primary School

I really enjoyed my visit. Thank you so much for talking to us. It was really good to find that your views about what is so good about your school matched mine.

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Inspection of Sir Francis Drake Primary School

I was very impressed with the way the school helps you sort out any problems. You explain your feelings very clearly and this helps you all get on well together.

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Inspection of Sir Francis Drake Primary School

Your school is outstanding in many ways. Three of the most important are that:

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Inspection of Sir Francis Drake Primary School

 lessons are really good  you have a chance to study lots of subjects and visit many places  the headteacher and staff are fantastic. They think very carefully about what is best for you and take your views on board.

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Inspection of Sir Francis Drake Primary School

The school has decided to work more on the different subjects and the way you are taught them and I agree this is a good plan.

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Inspection of Sir Francis Drake Primary School

Thank you for being so open with me in our discussions. You have also made a big difference to the school by the way you tell teachers what you think. It was a great pleasure to meet you all.

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