Leopold Primary School

Inspection Report Leopold Primary School

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101504 Unique Reference Number Brent Local Authority 286086 Inspection number 15 February 2007 Inspection date Susan Gregory 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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Hawkshead Road School address Primary Type of school Willesden Community School category London NW10 9UR 3 °11 Age range of pupils 020 8459 5654 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 020 8459 6245 Fax number 460 Number on roll (school) Mr M Elington Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs A Kendall Headteacher 7 May 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 286086 15 February 2007 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 one of Her Majesty's Inspectors of Schools. While at the school, the inspector spoke to pupils, parents, staff and governors, observed lessons and looked at pupils' work. She also examined the school's data, records and other documents. More than 270 parents responded to the questionnaire distributed just before the inspection. Parents value strongly the way in which all children are helped to develop positive aspirations, and, high moral and social values.

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Description of the school

The school is culturally diverse. Almost all of the pupils represent minority ethnic groups; the largest groups represented are of Caribbean and Black African heritage. Thirty-one languages are spoken and after English, Yoruba, Arabic and Urdu are the main languages. About one quarter of pupils is at the early stages of learning English. Around 70% of pupils follow the Christian faith; the next largest faith group is Muslim, followed by Hindu. The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is average, and the number of pupils who arrive at or leave the school at other than the expected times is low. Until recently the majority of children entered the school at the expected levels; more recently, they have entered with levels of language that are below national expectations. About 16% of pupils have learning difficulties and disabilities (LDD), including four that have a statement of special educational needs (SEN). There are

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Description of the school

two children who are looked after by a local authority. The school offers after school care - Leopold Primary School After School Club. The provision was inspected by Ofsted at the same time as the school and judged to be good. The school has achieved a 'Sportsmark', 'School Achievement Awards' in 1999/2000, 2001/2002, has 'Investors in People' status and is working towards the Healthy Schools Award.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Leopold Primary School, 15 February 2007

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Grade: 2

Leopold Primary School rightly judges itself to be a good school with outstanding features. The staff, parents and governors accurately describe it as an inclusive school which provides a 'safe, secure and harmonious family network in which every child counts'. Children and adults work successfully together to promote racial tolerance and a genuine respect for each other's cultural and religious differences. The overwhelmingly positive response from parents demonstrates the excellent partnership between them and the school. A great deal has been achieved since the school's last inspection and there are several factors that have contributed to this. Under the inspirational leadership of the headteacher there has been a relentless drive to: maintain high standards in the core subjects, English, mathematics and science; improve teaching and learning and; develop the curriculum which was unsatisfactory in the last inspection. The headteacher and

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Grade: 2

deputy have led from the front, accurately identifying what needs to be done and taking prompt action. Crucially, middle managers have been appointed to important curriculum posts; they are developing their roles well and becoming increasingly confident about tackling areas for further improvement. Staff are well-supported to provide interesting and relevant lessons and they work hard to ensure that they know their pupils' needs well. Staff and governors have devised robust monitoring procedures to track pupils' progress and the quality of the school's provision. The impact of all this is clear because pupils reach high standards in the core subjects, and these compare very well to the national picture. No groups of pupils underachieve, and almost all achieve well in the core subjects, including those that speak English as an additional language, those that have learning difficulties, and Caribbean and Black

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Grade: 2

African pupils, particularly boys; this is a real strength of the school's work. Children in the Foundation Stage get off to a good start and progress well because the provision has come on in leaps and bounds. In Years 1 to 6 there is now an enriched and interesting curriculum which has good links between all subjects. The school is aware though, that it still needs to keep an eye on the structure of the curriculum because the allocation of time for English in some classes reduces a little of the time for subjects like history and geography. Other factors in this picture are that teaching has improved from being satisfactory to good. Pupils' behaviour was identified as a concern in the last inspection but is now also good because of the impressive way in which staff manage pupils. Adults have high expectations of pupils' behaviour and by providing a consistent approach to behaviour management they command respect, tolerance and good manners. Pupils

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Grade: 2

get on very well with each other, love coming to school and feel that they can report any concerns to staff, confident in the knowledge that they will be dealt with effectively. The steady pace of sustained improvements and the high standards in core subjects, reflect the school's good value for money and an outstanding capacity to continue to move forward. 2 Inspection Report: Leopold Primary School, 15 February 2007

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What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure that there is a similar allocation of time for subjects across year groups so that standards in all subjects are as high as they are in English, mathematics and science.

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Grade: 2

Achievement and standards are good. Almost all pupils make good progress, and by the time they leave, make outstanding progress in mathematics and reading from broadly average starting points. Children in the Foundation Stage make good gains, especially in their language skills, early literacy and numeracy, knowledge and understanding of the world and physical development. By the time they move into Year 1, the majority are exceeding national expectations in these areas. Pupils continue to progress well in Years 1 to 6, and over a number of years test results have shown that standards in core subjects are significantly above the national averages. There is no difference in the achievement of minority ethnic groups, and Caribbean and Black African pupils do especially well. A very slight drop in standards in core subjects in recent times reflects the increasing numbers of older pupils that arrive new to the school.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' targets set for national tests in 2007 and 2008 are challenging but realistic. They reflect the school's robust monitoring and assessment procedures and pupils are well on track to achieve them. Subjects other than the core were not inspected, but there is an impressive range of design and technology (Dand;T) work. This is in stark contrast to the last inspection, when standards in Dand;T were unsatisfactory.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' personal development and well-being are outstanding. Pupils enjoy learning and take tremendous pride in their school and as a result, their attendance is high. Their punctuality has improved too because parents are actively encouraged by staff and governors to ensure that their children are not late. From the time they join the school pupils learn to adopt the school's strong values and high expectations. They want to do well, and are eager to become prefects and good role models for younger pupils. They develop their outstanding moral and social skills from the good example set by the staff and other adults, including well-respected members of the community like members of parliament and famous athletes. Pupils' outstanding spiritual development is underpinned by excellent opportunities to share their thoughts and feelings in assemblies. Their cultural development is superb too, because adults make the most of the richness of their heritages and have built links

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Grade: 1

with 'twinned' schools in Soweto and Guyana. 3 Inspection Report: Leopold Primary School, 15 February 2007 Pupils' growing ability to adopt healthy life styles is outstanding. Staff and parents have worked hard to encourage them to eat healthy packed lunches and snacks and, to provide a wide range of physical and sporting activities. From the youngest age, children develop their physical skills well in an easily accessible and well-resourced outside area. Pupils make an excellent contribution to the well-being of others and have a strong 'voice' through the School Council. During the inspection, they showed they were business-like and mature as they made decisions about keeping the local environment clean by raising money to buy litter bins. The high standards of pupils' basic skills and their excellent grounding for further stages of their education lead to five or six pupils successfully gaining secondary school scholarships each year.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. Some teaching is outstanding. The headteacher, deputy and staff have created a positive learning culture in which relationships between pupils and adults flourish. Consequently, pupils have excellent attitudes to learning and are confident that lessons and activities like sports coaching and French will be fun. Teachers in all year groups know their pupils' needs very well and use this information effectively to plan the next steps in their learning. Teaching assistants work hard to support pupils' learning although the quality of their work is variable. The school is addressing this. Staff are confident in their teaching because they share a consistent approach to lesson structure and class organisation. They have good subject knowledge and expertise and regularly evaluate the quality of their practice and its impact on learning with the headteacher and deputy. Lessons have good pace and teachers set tasks that

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Grade: 2

generally 'stretch' and motivate pupils well. They ask questions too, that challenge their pupils' knowledge and understanding, although occasionally there are missed opportunities for pupils to engage more actively in their learning by asking questions themselves. Teachers rigorously track pupils' progress and their marking is supportive but does not always provide pupils with advice about how to improve their work. This is an aspect of teaching that the school is tackling.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good and shows considerable improvement. It is now broad and gives pupils good opportunities to develop their English and mathematical thinking across the range of subjects. For example, in a geography lesson, Year 2 pupils' well developed reading skills enabled them to make very good use of atlases and a map. Pupils benefit from a rich variety of regular and interesting activities; for instance, the whole school has been asked to engage in a national writing project and pupils have relished the 4 Inspection Report: Leopold Primary School, 15 February 2007 opportunity to write letters to famous authors. Pupils also have regular trips like their visit to the House of Commons, and a very good range of extra curricular clubs including the after school club. The timetabling of the curriculum is satisfactory, but could be better, as the allocation of time for English sometimes impacts on the time available

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Grade: 2

for subjects other than the core. The school's efforts to help parents to find ways in which they can support their children at home are very effective. An example of this has been the drive to improve mathematics; this has had a very good impact and reflects pupils' outstanding progress in this subject. Resources are of good quality, such as the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) suite and interactive whiteboards, all of which contribute well to pupils' achievement across the different subjects.

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Grade: 1

The school rightly prides itself on its outstanding care, guidance and support. This provides a secure foundation for all pupils to become confident, independent learners; their academic and pastoral care are at the centre of the school's practice. The staff and governors take all reasonable steps to ensure that pupils are safe; staff are regularly trained in child protection procedures and health and safety requirements are fully met. There have been no incidents of exclusion or racial discrimination and inappropriate behaviour is dealt with swiftly. There are excellent links with partner agencies and schools, like Copeland Community School, and these partnerships support the needs of vulnerable children very effectively, such as those that are looked after by a local authority. Staff ensure that they are well informed about pupils' needs, and those who need extra help with their learning are identified early and given good academic support.

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Grade: 1

This contributes significantly to pupils' good achievement and outstanding preparation for their future lives.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The impressive leadership of the headteacher and strong support from her deputy have enabled the school to maintain high standards in core subjects, make very good improvements and, set a clear direction for future developments. As a result, middle managers, some of whom are new to their posts, are starting to monitor their areas well and make accurate assessments of what needs to be done. For example, an analysis of Year 2 results identified that more capable children could be doing even better in reading and writing, and staff targeted these aspects for improvement. Consequently, more pupils have reached the higher levels. The headteacher and staff believe strongly in 'opening doors' for their pupils and take particular care to include each child in every aspect of school life. Consequently, every child has an equal opportunity to achieve their potential. Governors too fulfil their

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Grade: 2

5 Inspection Report: Leopold Primary School, 15 February 2007 role well. They are highly committed, knowledgeable about the school and have put good monitoring procedures in place in order to question whether they are adding sufficient value. Governors represent the local community well, and work effectively in partnership with the parents' association to raise notable amounts of money for such resources as ICT equipment. 6 Inspection Report: Leopold Primary School, 15 February 2007 .

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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. 7 Inspection Report: Leopold Primary School, 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? 2 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 2 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

2 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 2 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 2 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?

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. 8 Inspection Report: Leopold Primary School, 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? 9 Inspection Report: Leopold Primary School, 15 February 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

I really enjoyed meeting you to talk about your work and what you like about your school. Thank you for making me so welcome. I think Leopold Primary is a good school. What I like most about your school: • you love learning at school and take tremendous pride in your work • you behave well, provide good role models for the younger pupils and try hard to respect each other's differences • you do well at school and reach high standards in English, mathematics and science • your teachers and the adults in the school are good at their jobs ; they make sure that you are safe and happy and have many interesting things to do like sporting activities and French lessons • your headteacher and teachers are very good at checking that you are getting on well • your teachers and parents are good at talking to each other about how well you are doing. What I have asked your headteacher and the staff to think about:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

• I have asked them to check that they plan enough time for each subject. I was very impressed by the work that the School Council, head boy, head girl and prefects are doing. I am sure that you will continue to work hard and help your teachers, and the pupils at your school. Yours sincerely Susan Gregory HMI (Lead inspector) 10 Inspection Report: Leopold Primary School, 15 February 2007

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