All Saints' Church of England Primary School Blackheath

Inspection Report All Saints' Church of England Primary School

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100719 Unique Reference Number Lewisham Local Authority 285858 Inspection number 22 November 2006 Inspection date Sheena MacDonald 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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2 Blackheath Vale School address Primary Type of school Blackheath Foundation School category London SE3 0TX 4 °11 Age range of pupils 020 8852 6136 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 020 8852 4306 Fax number 181 Number on roll (school) Mr Michael Almond Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Debbie Tompkins Headteacher 22 May 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 285858 22 November 2006 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.

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Description of the school

All Saints is a Church of England primary school which serves a wide catchment area. It has a similar size and intake to most primary schools. Over one third of pupils come from a range of minority ethnic heritages. Lower than average numbers of pupils are eligible for free school meals. The proportion of pupils with statements of special educational need is higher than average. Attendance is good.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: All Saints' Church of England Primary School, 22 November 2006

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Grade: 1

All Saints is an outstanding school. Parents, pupils and other partners are overwhelmingly positive about the high quality of academic and pastoral provision. One parent, out of the many who added positive comments to the questionnaire, said, 'I am continually impressed with the quality and standard of education provided by the school'. Pupils achieve exceptionally high standards and their progress is outstanding. Children get off to a flying start in the Reception class where they make good progress due to consistently good teaching allied to imaginative and practical learning experiences. Standards throughout the school in English, mathematics and science are consistently well above national expectations and the results of national assessments at the end of Key Stages 1 and 2 in 2006 indicate significant further improvement. Inclusion of all pupils is a key strength of this school where every child matters and additional

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Grade: 1

support and challenge programmes are carefully evaluated to ensure each child reaches his or her potential. A key factor in this outstanding achievement is the exceptional personal development and well-being of pupils. The strong focus on this aspect ensures that children develop exemplary behaviour, confidence, care and respect for others. Their excellent attitudes to learning and outstanding personal skills result in mature, confident young people well equipped to make a success of their lives. Excellent teaching which strives to provide the correct amounts of challenge and support and engage learners through lively interesting activities results in rapid and consistent progress across the school. The school has high expectations of what everyone can achieve. This is as true for the adults as for the pupils and teachers aspire to produce only the best quality teaching possible. One child said that when he moved

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Grade: 1

to All Saints 'the teachers changed how I felt about school'. Good quality care and guidance are sustained throughout the school. Pupils receive excellent academic guidance and are increasingly involved in their own assessment and in identifying what they need to do to achieve their goals. This is supported by a good curriculum which provides good opportunities to excel and which develops enjoyment of sport and music. Some excellent examples of linking across subjects are in place. For example, pupils in Year 6 have written some very moving poetry related to their history work on World War 1. Other opportunities for this sort of work are being trialled and development of the curriculum is an area for further improvement. At the heart of the school's success is a leadership team which is relentless in pursuit of excellence and whose battle cry could be 'no complacency!' Over the years, the school has not only maintained very high levels of achievement but systematically

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Grade: 1

improved standards. The school has a clear view of what works well and where further improvement can be achieved. Improvement planning is well focused and practical. Monitoring and review systems already in place in the school are not fully embedded into the plan. Likewise, although the governors play an important part in school life, their role in monitoring and evaluating improvement planning is limited. All aspects 2 Inspection Report: All Saints' Church of England Primary School, 22 November 2006 identified for improvement at the last inspection have been addressed and the school's track record of improvement allied to its sharply focused self-evaluation demonstrates that it has an outstanding capacity to improve.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Enhance governors involvement in the monitoring and evaluation of improvement planning • Ensure that there is a first rate curriculum across all subjects

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Grade: 1

Children enter the school achieving around the national average however there is a group who are more capable. The school is fully aware of this and is successful in making sure these pupils are fully challenged. Consequently, all children achieve well. Throughout the school pupils make consistent and excellent progress. Standards of attainment are very high and results at the end of both Key Stages 1 and 2 show that pupils achieve well above national expectations in English, mathematics and science. These high standards are confirmed through analysis of the pupil's current work. Recent developments in the teaching of mathematics and writing have led to impressive improvements in achievement in these subjects. A key strength of the school is its determination to make sure that all pupils, regardless of ability, gender or ethnicity, achieve their full potential. That they all do succeed is testament to excellent teaching,

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Grade: 1

well focused support and effective intervention programmes. The school sets and achieves very challenging targets and has rigorous processes in place to assess progress and ensure that pupils achieve their goals.

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Grade: 1

Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are excellent. Pupils feel valued, trusted and empowered to make an impressive contribution to the school and the wider community. Behaviour is exemplary; pupils show care, respect and consideration for others at all times. They take responsibility for sorting out problems when things go wrong but are also full of praise for the headteacher and staff who 'drop whatever they are doing to make sure things are dealt with straight away'. Pupils enjoy school and are enthusiastic learners. Attendance is high and there have been no exclusions in the last eight years. The school has achieved the Healthy School Award. Pupils enjoy a wide range of physical activities during and after the school day and their trophy cupboard is testament to their achievements in a wide range of sporting activities. Healthy eating is encouraged and governors, parents, pupils and the school cook

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Grade: 1

successfully campaigned to improve school meals. Pupils of all ages enthusiastically take on a wide range of responsibilities. Older pupils provide peer mentoring and run clubs for younger classes. They say that that the 'Be Better Science club' helps both age groups to improve. The school council is well organised and influential in making 3 Inspection Report: All Saints' Church of England Primary School, 22 November 2006 improvements to the school. They organise fundraising events such as Bad Hair Day and decide how the funds should be spent. For some time pupils have supported the education of a South African child. Very high levels of basic skills, including ICT and well developed personal skills ensure that pupils are exceptionally well prepared for their future economic well being.

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Grade: 1

Teachers demonstrate an outstanding understanding of how children learn. This leads to an excellent range of strategies employed in lessons, including many opportunities for lively, interactive learning. The quality of teaching is consistently good in all parts of the school and this, in turn, results in the outstanding progress achieved by all pupils. Pupils commented that 'Teachers make lessons as enjoyable as possible. They know what bores us and avoid things like that!' All teachers strive to demonstrate the qualities seen in the best lessons at all times. Relationships are excellent and pupils have high levels of concentration and involvement. They are enthusiastic and independent learners. Expectations are high and pupils say they are challenged to do their best while always being supported to achieve success. This is true of all groups including the more able and those who need additional help. Support staff play an

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Grade: 1

important role, are highly valued and provide very effective support.

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Grade: 2

Reception children enjoy a rich and imaginative range of activities; for example by exploring an 'archaeological dig' as part of the outdoor role play. The curriculum across the school meets the needs of all pupils and has particular strengths in literacy, mathematics and ICT. The personal development programme is particularly strong and contributes to the outstanding outcomes in this area. Good use is made of the local area including close links with the church. Regular visits, visitors and special events such as 'Around the world week' bring learning to life. The curriculum is enriched by enhanced music provision and a very good range of clubs and sporting activities, including the popular Saturday morning football club organised by parents. The school received a European language award for its work in teaching and learning British Sign language. Improving the curriculum is a current priority and the school rightly intend

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Grade: 2

to make stronger links between subjects and place greater emphasis on more active and real life learning. This builds on successful work piloted in Literacy and mathematics. 4 Inspection Report: All Saints' Church of England Primary School, 22 November 2006

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Grade: 2

A strength of the school is the way each child is cared for and valued as an individual. Pupils and parents comment on the sensitive and expert way pupils are supported, helped to overcome difficulties and achieve exceptionally well both personally and academically. Both groups also comment positively on how quickly the school acts to sort out any problems. Academic guidance is outstanding and teachers provide excellent feedback which helps pupils understand what they need to do to improve their work. Pupils know their targets for improvement and are increasingly involved as partners in the process of assessing the quality of their own work and identifying their next steps. Very good arrangements are in place to support pupils through the transition from stage to stage of their school journey. Although safeguarding pupils is a high priority, the school is aware that systems could be tightened, for example by

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Grade: 2

establishing a register for the daily visits to the Heath. It is currently reviewing and improving procedures to ensure that health and safety risks are minimized.

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Grade: 1

The headteacher and senior team provide dynamic and imaginative leadership and management. They involve all staff, pupils, governors, parents and partners in developing a vision for the school which builds on success and continues the forward momentum of improvement. The team have achieved an impressive level of consistency and shared understanding across the school community about what everyone needs to do to in order to achieve excellent outcomes for pupils. Very good systems of information gathering and analysis are used to carefully evaluate the impact of actions such as intervention programmes or changes in teaching strategies. Recent impressive improvements in pupils' achievement in mathematics and writing demonstrate the positive impact of this approach. Professional development has a high status and good systems are in place to ensure that all staff have well planned development opportunities. The leadership team make good use of a range of strategies including

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Grade: 1

demonstration, observation and feedback to improve performance across the school. External partnerships, such as the links with a local special school, are excellent and have a positive impact on pupil achievement and well-being. The school has an exceptionally clear understanding of its own strengths and areas for development and is implementing a practical and well focused improvement plan. There are good systems for measuring impact, monitoring and evaluation but these are not fully incorporated into the improvement planning process. Limited space is an ongoing problem and the school has used imagination, flair and dogged determination to improve the environment and the faculties. Governors are enthusiastic, have a good range of skills and experience and provide good support. They carry out their statutory duties admirably. Although they provide challenge they have limited involvement in the systematic evaluation of the school's improvement planning.

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Grade: 1

5 Inspection Report: All Saints' Church of England Primary School, 22 November 2006 .

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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: All Saints' Church of England Primary School, 22 November 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 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 1 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?

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: All Saints' Church of England Primary School, 22 November 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: All Saints' Church of England Primary School, 22 November 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

As you know I visited your school recently to find out how well you were doing. I really enjoyed my time at All Saints', particularly spending time in lessons and having the chance to talk to some of you. I learnt about Brazilian football and Street dance so All Saints' taught me something new too! I found out that your school is outstanding. • Your behaviour, care for others and enthusiasm for learning are superb. Well done! • You achieve very high standards in your work and in your personal development. You make excellent progress during your time in All Saints'. • Your headteacher and the other leaders are excellent and they are determined to make sure that everyone achieves success • Your teachers make lessons exciting and interesting. The Big Writing lessons are having a real impact. Year 6, your Poppy poems and Art work are very moving. • Teachers and teaching assistants work hard to make sure that you are safe and happy and

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

that work is just right for you; not too easy and not too hard. No wonder your parents are so pleased that you attend such an excellent school. I know they agree because so many of them to the trouble to write to me and tell me. Because I know that the headteacher and the other adults are not happy unless things keep getting even better, here's two things I have asked them to do. • Involve the governors more in monitoring and evaluating the school improvement plan. • Improve the curriculum so that you have even better opportunities to achieve excellence in all subjects. Thank you for making my visit to your excellent school so enjoyable. Keep up the good work! Yours sincerely, Sheena MacDonald HMI 9 Inspection Report: All Saints' Church of England Primary School, 22 November 2006

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