Southbury Primary School

Inspection Report Southbury Primary School

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102014 Unique Reference Number Enfield Local Authority 286245 Inspection number 21 °22 February 2007 Inspection dates Malcolm Johnstone 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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Swansea Road School address Primary Type of school Enfield Community School category EN3 4JG 3 °11 Age range of pupils 020 8804 1710 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 020 8804 1050 Fax number 465 Number on roll (school) Mrs Barbara Munson Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mr D Bryant Headteacher 25 June 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 286245 21 °22 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 three Additional inspectors

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Description of the school

This large school serves an area with features of significant social and economic disadvantage. There is a much higher proportion of pupils from a variety of minority ethnic backgrounds than is usual. The majority are of Asian and African heritage. A significant minority is at the early stages of learning English. Attainment on entry is well below average. Almost a half of the pupils are eligible for free school meals. About a third of the pupils have been identified as having learning difficulties. Pupil mobility is higher than average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Southbury Primary School, 21 °22 February 2007

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Grade: 3

This school provides a satisfactory and improving education with good features. Over the past two years it has demonstrated a strong commitment to the national Intensifying Support Programme. Involvement in the initiative has been particularly effective in developing pupils' literacy skills. Overall, standards and achievement are satisfactory and improving. This mirrors the overall quality of teaching and learning. Teachers are committed to improvement and work together well as a team. Standards in mathematics and science are not as high as those in reading and writing because teaching is not as consistently strong. In mathematics and science some of the work lacks sufficient challenge and there are not enough opportunities for pupils to use and apply their knowledge in investigative learning. When children start in the Nursery many do not have the skills expected for their age. Good provision, including effective teaching throughout the Foundation Stage ensures

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Grade: 3

that their needs are met well and they make good progress. This ensures that their first experiences of school are enjoyable and positive. Despite the good provision, many do not reach the national expectations for children entering Year 1. Leadership and management are satisfactory. The headteacher's democratic, open and friendly style has built a hard working team and secured the support of the large majority of parents. Commitment to the pupils' personal development and well-being is clear and strong. They develop into mature and well-behaved pupils who enjoy learning and are keen to succeed. These aspects of their learning prepare them well for their future economic well being. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is good and racial harmony is outstanding. Provision for pupils' with learning difficulties and for pupils who are at the early stages of learning English is good and

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Grade: 3

helps them to make steady progress. Pupils say that they feel safe and show respect for the views of others. They know what constitutes a healthy lifestyle. There is a good curriculum that is responsive to local and national initiatives and reflects the diverse nature of the pupils' backgrounds. The school's self evaluation is good. It has improved since the previous inspection and has brought about improvement; for example, in the steady rise in standards. However, the overall impact has not been effective enough in mathematics and science. Whilst there is regular monitoring of the teaching and learning this is too general and does not focus sharply enough on agreed priorities to raise standards and achievement. The leadership team is determined to deal with these issues and they have good capacity to make the necessary improvements.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards and pupils' achievements in mathematics and science • Improve the quality of teaching in mathematics and science, focussing on matching work more accurately to pupils' needs and providing more opportunities for pupils to use and apply their basic skills in solving problems. 2 Inspection Report: Southbury Primary School, 21 °22 February 2007 • Ensure that monitoring focuses more stringently on agreed priorities to raise standards and achievement

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Grade: 3

Standards have shown a steady rise since 2004. By the end of Year 6, standards are broadly average in English and achievement is satisfactory and improving. Pupils progress well in writing where there has been the greatest emphasis and where teaching is consistently good. Regular guided reading sessions and a more consistent approach to the teaching of phonics is improving standards and achievement in reading. Whilst pupils achieve satisfactorily in mathematics and science, standards are not as high as those in English and pupils should be doing better. There are weaknesses in pupils' ability to use and apply their knowledge to investigative learning. Appropriately challenging targets were met in English but were not met in mathematics. Over time, there is no significant variation in the achievements of the different groups of pupils. Good support for pupils who have learning difficulties and those pupils at the early

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Grade: 3

stages of learning English enables them to make steady progress. This accelerates when additional teaching support for small groups is provided. Standards are below average in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 2. Children make good progress in the Foundation Stage, although many do not reach national expectations for children entering Year 1.

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Grade: 2

Pupils enjoy school and their personal development and well being are good. This is reflected in pupils' improved attendance which is now at national levels. Pupil's spiritual, moral and social development is good and as a result, behaviour is good, pupils have positive attitudes to learning and respect for the values and beliefs of others. They are polite and courteous to visitors and to each other. Relationships are good. As one pupil said, 'we all get on well together, whatever our religion and background.' A secure and happy working environment has been established which enables pupils to feel valued and positive about their achievements. However, the school is aware of the need to provide more opportunities for pupils to take on greater responsibility for their own learning. Pupils new to the school say they soon make friends. On the few occasions when bullying occurs, pupils say it is dealt with quickly and successfully.

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Grade: 2

They have a good understanding of what makes a healthy lifestyle and how to keep safe. The school council is involved in decision making and has contributed to the development of playground resources and rules. 3 Inspection Report: Southbury Primary School, 21 °22 February 2007

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Grade: 3

There was some good and outstanding lessons seen during the inspection, but the impact of teaching on pupils' achievements over time is satisfactory. Teaching is more effective in English than in mathematics and science and progress is more rapid. Classroom assistants support pupils' learning effectively because they know the pupils well and understand what they are expected to learn. In some lessons, activities are linked effectively to a real life situation and this adds interest and meaning to the work. For example, in a literacy lesson on persuasive writing, pupils' wrote good quality letters to the headteacher to encourage him not to replace books with computers. The use of paired pupil discussion before responding to a question is a strong feature of the teaching. This develops speaking and listening skills and encourages pupils to think more deeply about their answer. There are weaknesses, particularly in mathematics

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Grade: 3

and science, when pupils separate into groups to work. Activities are not always well matched to pupils' needs so that less able pupils find the work too difficult, or more able pupils are not challenged enough. This highlights inconsistency in the use of assessment to plan subsequent learning. In mathematics and science, there are not enough opportunities for pupils to use and apply their knowledge in investigative learning. Teaching is effective in the Foundation Stage and helps pupils make good progress.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum for children in the Foundation Stage is good and enables children to make a good start to their education. In Years 1-6 the curriculum is enriched by specialist teachers, visitors and visits which extend pupil's experiences. For example, a visit from a drama group increased pupils' understanding of Chinese culture and stimulated a wide range of creative work. There are good links between subjects and these add further interest for pupils. There is a good range of additional activities including participation in local sports events. The well attended lunch time and after school clubs, extend the curriculum effectively and impact positively on pupils' attitudes to school. Provision for information and communication technology has improved since the previous inspection and is now satisfactory. The curriculum promotes pupils personal, social and emotional development well and successfully supports healthy

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Grade: 2

This is a happy, safe and supportive school because of the shared commitment of the staff and their good relationship with the pupils. There is a consistent and effective approach to managing behaviour. Pupils' welfare is given a high priority, especially 4 Inspection Report: Southbury Primary School, 21 °22 February 2007 those who have additional difficulties and disabilities for whom there is a wide range of extra help and regular checking on their progress. Procedures for safeguarding pupils are good and pupils say that they feel safe. There is good support for the minority ethnic pupils who are at the early stages of learning English. Pupils have group targets in writing, mathematics and science. These help pupils to see how well they are doing.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory. The successful work of the senior leadership team can be seen in the consistently good behaviour and attitudes of the pupils and the provision for their all round development throughout the school. They have successfully established a good Foundation Stage that gives children a good start to their education. Recent action to improve standards in literacy is starting to bear fruit. However, more needs to be done to bring about similar improvement in mathematics and science. For instance, although the senior teachers provide good role models in their own teaching their potential influence on the work of other colleagues is not yet being felt throughout the school. Regular checks are being made on the quality of lessons, but these are insufficiently focussed. Not enough attention is paid to the effects of teaching on pupils' learning and progress in mathematics and

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Grade: 3

science, or to ensuring that this sort of activity is linked to key priorities in school development planning. Governors have a sound understanding of the school's strengths and weaknesses. They have improved the part they play in challenging the school and holding it to account and this aspect of their work is satisfactory. 5 Inspection Report: Southbury Primary School, 21 °22 February 2007 .

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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: Southbury Primary School, 21 °22 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 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 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 3 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: Southbury Primary School, 21 °22 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: Southbury Primary School, 21 °22 February 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

I am writing to let you know how much we enjoyed our recent visit to your school. You made us feel very welcome. I would like to share with you some of the things we found out. Your school is providing a satisfactory education with some good features. We were impressed with your behaviour and politeness and could see how well you try to do your best in lessons. You told us how much you enjoy school and how well all the adults who work in school care for you and look after you. We were pleased to see how much you know about staying safe and eating healthy foods. There are lots of exciting things going on in school like the 'body jam' activities and the visit of the group who performed dance and drama that helped you understand about Chinese traditions. You have done particularly well with your writing, although we feel you could be doing better with your mathematics and science. Some of you told us that the work you do in mathematics

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

is sometimes too easy. We agree that this sometimes happens and have asked the headteacher and other staff to make sure the work you are given is neither too easy nor too hard. In mathematics and science we think you need to be given more opportunities to investigate problems and come up with your own ideas about how to solve these. We have asked the headteacher and other teachers to keep a closer check on lessons to make sure that these things happen. Good luck for the future. Mr M.Johnstone (Lead inspector) 9 Inspection Report: Southbury Primary School, 21 °22 February 2007

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