Horsenden Primary School

Inspection Report Horsenden Primary School

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101901 Unique Reference Number Ealing Local Authority 286213 Inspection number 27 November 2006 Inspection date Barry Jones 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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Horsenden Lane North School address Primary Type of school Greenford Community School category UB6 0PB 3 °11 Age range of pupils 02084225985 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 02084235189 Fax number 819 Number on roll (school) Mrs Rosemary Thorndycraft Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Elizabeth Walton Headteacher 25 February 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 286213 27 November 2006 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 an Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

Horsenden is a larger-than-average, over-subscribed primary school. It has a higher proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and who do not have English as their first language than in the great majority of schools. There is a lower proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities than in most schools. Attainment on entry to the Nursery is below average but is broadly average when pupils enter Year 1. There was a much higher response (54%) to the parents' questionnaire than in most schools.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Horsenden Primary School, 27 November 2006

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Grade: 3

Horsenden is a satisfactory school with good features. A strength is the harmonious community that has been fostered as a result of the good quality of care. The adults in the school set good role models and every child does matter to them. This caring approach permeates everything the school does and underpins the welcoming ethos of the school. As a result, pupils' personal development and well-being are good. They have a good sense of right and wrong and respect one another's beliefs and cultures. They enjoy coming to school and this is shown by their good attendance and positive attitudes. The school has worked hard and effectively to establish good behaviour. The great majority of parents are very appreciative of the work of the school and praise the staff. Children make a good start in the Foundation Stage. Provision is good and consequently they make good progress. By the end of Year 6, pupils attain standards that are broadly

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Grade: 3

average. The teaching is satisfactory and this means that pupils make satisfactory progress given their starting points. There is variation between subjects and, in 2006, significantly higher proportions of pupils attained the expected standard in English and science than did in mathematics. The quality of pupils' writing has been identified as a weakness and has improved following sustained efforts over the last two years. The dip in performance in mathematics and a decrease in the proportion of pupils attaining the highest level in English means that the trend in the last two years has been down. The school is rightly monitoring why some more able pupils are not making the progress they should. The school is rich in data but lacks expertise in interpreting data fully. Hence, the reasons for the decline have not been identified fully by the school and this limits the effectiveness of strategies to rectify the problem. Although,

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Grade: 3

data are used effectively to provide support when individual pupils have fallen behind in their work, the information has not yet been collated to identify patterns that might improve the delivery of the curriculum or the way a subject is taught. Senior managers have been effective in maintaining high quality care. There is good support for pupils who join the school with little spoken English. They are helped to settle quickly and consequently make good progress in acquiring language skills. The school has been less successful in ensuring that all pupils make good progress. Raising the achievement of pupils is not given sufficient emphasis in the school's improvement plans. Progress since the inspection has been uneven but overall it has been satisfactory. Consequently, capacity to improve further is satisfactory.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise the standards in mathematics in Key Stage 2. • Ensure that the more able pupils make good progress in Key Stage 2, particularly in English. • Ensure that data is analysed effectively and used to inform planning by senior managers. 2 Inspection Report: Horsenden Primary School, 27 November 2006

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Grade: 3

By the end of the Foundation Stage children attain broadly average standards. However, many pupils have speaking and listening skills that are still below average on entering Year 1.This hinders their progress in Key Stage 1 and writing skills are still significantly below average by the end of Year 2. However, these pupils continue to receive effective, targeted support in Key Stage 2 and consequently their progress is accelerated and their writing improves. The school has participated in a number of initiatives to improve literacy standards while mathematics has not been given sufficient priority in the school. Consequently, in 2006 the proportion attaining the expected standard in English was 20% higher than in mathematics. The school met its challenging target for English but not mathematics. The picture is mixed as the proportion attaining the highest level in mathematics increased when compared to the results in 2005. There are no

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Grade: 3

underachieving groups and pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities make the same progress as their classmates.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. This is nurtured by a well-planned programme of assemblies but also through the curriculum. Children in the Foundation Stage make particularly good progress in their personal and social development. As one parent wrote, `My daughter made very good progress in Reception. The teachers' effort, care and enthusiasm were excellent.' The school council has made a positive contribution to improving the school meals and the school playground at lunchtimes. They also contribute well to the wider community. Pupils feel safe in the school. There is little bullying but they are confident that the isolated occurrences will be dealt with effectively by an adult. They also have a good understanding of healthy living issues. They are prepared well socially for the next step but their economic well-being is satisfactory overall because of their average

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Grade: 3

Overall, teaching and learning are satisfactory. Teachers make effective use of a range of resources that make lessons interesting and ensure that pupils enjoy them and participate fully. They make good use of both visual and auditory stimuli to help with the learning. For instance, interactive whiteboards are used well. Teachers are enthusiastic and this is conveyed to the pupils themselves. The objectives for a lesson are shared with the pupils and pupils are usefully involved in assessing whether they have achieved them. Teachers vary in their effectiveness to match work to pupils of 3 Inspection Report: Horsenden Primary School, 27 November 2006 different abilities; in some mathematics lessons there is too much reliance on the setting arrangements to do this. Teachers do not always check that most pupils understand a concept before moving on. Marking is of good quality and usually gives constructive feedback to the pupils on how to improve further. Marking in mathematics

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Grade: 3

is conscientiously done but opportunities are missed to identify patterns in the errors that are made by pupils.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory and contributes to pupils' personal and academic progress. In the Foundation Stage limited space has hindered the development of outdoor play but the school has addressed this as well as it can. There is good provision through the curriculum for promoting personal and social education. There is a good range of extra-curricular opportunities, and after-school clubs are attended well. There are many trips and they are linked usefully to work in school. The curriculum is also adapted appropriately to reflect the richness in diversity of cultures within the school. Resources for information, communication and technology have been enhanced and used well. The school is currently working to improve further the curriculum for art and design technology.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good. The school works well with other agencies and partners to ensure the well-being of every child. The school rightly prides itself on making sure that every child is included. Communications with parents and carers are good. The very good quality of the reports that the school provides to all parents and carers means that they can help their children at home more effectively. Parents and carers are invited to make a response and their comments are acted upon rigorously. This helps to build the trust that most parents have in the school. The tracking of an individual's progress is good. When this reveals underachievement, the school provides support and this usually means that the pupil then improves. The tracking of progress for groups of pupils is less well established.

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Grade: 3

There is a high level of staff commitment that makes sure that every pupil can participate fully in school life. This stems from the good example set by the headteacher. There is a thorough programme for monitoring the quality of teaching. There is useful feedback to teachers that is followed up by senior managers and has led to improvements in the teaching. However, the observations do not focus sufficiently on the progress made by pupils. Consequently, they do not give the senior managers the information they should on why there are variations in pupils' progress in English and mathematics by pupils of differing abilities. This, coupled with some 4 Inspection Report: Horsenden Primary School, 27 November 2006 weaknesses in analysing data, means that senior managers are only partially successful in devising the right strategies to raise achievement. Self-evaluation is satisfactory overall. The school is taking actions to improve achievement but these are not

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Grade: 3

incorporated sufficiently strongly into the school's improvement plans. Progress since the last inspection has been erratic. In the two years following the last inspection standards improved so that in 2004 pupils achieved significantly better than the average nationally. There has been some slippage and achievement is now satisfactory. The governors are very supportive of the school but have not challenged the school rigorously enough to identify the reasons for this recent dip in the results. 5 Inspection Report: Horsenden Primary School, 27 November 2006 .

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Grade: 3

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Horsenden Primary School, 27 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 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 3 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

3 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 3 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The behaviour of learners 2 The attendance of learners 2 How well learners enjoy their education 2 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

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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: Horsenden Primary School, 27 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: Horsenden Primary School, 27 November 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you very much for helping me when I inspected your school. You were most courteous and spoke enthusiastically about your school. You told me that you enjoy coming to school, feel safe there and that the teachers look after you very well. Members of your school council told me that their views are valued by the school. They have helped with the introduction of healthy meals and also alerted the school to the lack of play facilities at lunchtimes. The school has responded by providing a `huff and puff' small games system. You say that this helps. You are also pleased with the good range of after-school clubs and the many trips that the school organises. My main finding is that your school is satisfactory and some things are good. A strength of the school is the way that it cares for you, whatever your background or circumstances. As a result you can get on well with one another. I was impressed by the way that you respect one another's

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

beliefs and cultures. It helps to make Horsenden the very welcoming school that it is. The school is helping you to develop into mature, confident young people. For example, some pupils speak little English when they join the school. They receive good support and so settle into the school well. The teachers work hard and they make the lessons interesting and fun for you. There are three ways in which I am asking the school to make things even better. I would like to see more of you attaining level 4 in mathematics in the tests in Year 6. It would be good to see as many pupils attaining the highest level 5 in English as there were two years ago. The school has collected a lot of data and there are more ways that it can use this information to help it to plan work for you. For your part, make sure that you ask if you do not understand. The teachers will be pleased to help you. I wish you every success in the future.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Barry Jones Lead inspector 9 Inspection Report: Horsenden Primary School, 27 November 2006

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