Grimsdyke School

Inspection Report Grimsdyke First and Middle School

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102187 Unique Reference Number Harrow Local Authority 286302 Inspection number 23 January 2007 Inspection date Nicola Davies 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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Sylvia Avenue School address Middle deemed primary Type of school

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Hatch End Community School category Pinner HA5 4QE 4 °12 Age range of pupils 020 8428 1324 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 020 8420 1623 Fax number 447 Number on roll (school) Mr Norman Williamson Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Gwenda Caroli Headteacher 4 February 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 286302 23 January 2007 4 °12 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

This is a larger than average, two form entry school in Pinner which educates pupils from Reception to Year 7. Approximately half of the pupils are of White British heritage, a quarter are of Indian heritage and a quarter are from a variety of other ethnic backgrounds. Around 1 in 5 pupils are bilingual. The percentage of pupils who are eligible for free school meals is low. The new headteacher took up her post in September 2006 following the retirement of her long-serving predecessor.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Grimsdyke First and Middle School, 23 January 2007

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Grade: 2

Grimsdyke gives its pupils a good education. Good teaching across the school, an interesting and stimulating curriculum, and good care and support means that pupils enjoy their time there and do very well. Pupils are proud to help the school through their jobs such as play leaders, senior prefects, school councillors and house captains. In this way, the oldest pupils make a good contribution to helping younger pupils to stay safe and behave well. Pupils get on well together, and their good understanding of how to keep safe and healthy adds to their feelings of security and enjoyment. As a result, pupils develop in confidence and develop good academic skills as they go through the school. Children join the Reception classes with a range of experiences and abilities. Overall their skills are above what is normally expected at this age. They get a good start to their education in the stimulating Reception classes and most go on to meet or exceed

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Grade: 2

the early learning goals. Their good and often very good progress continues across the school. Standards in English, mathematics and science are exceptionally and consistently high in the national tests at the end of Year 6, and pupils continue to make good progress in Year 7. The school has identified that some pupils do not do quite as well in writing as in reading. In response, it has improved the opportunities which they have to write at length about interesting topics across different subjects. Leadership and management are good. With the arrival of the new headteacher, the school has taken the opportunity to re-evaluate what it does well and how it could improve further. As a result, it has identified a clear list of well defined priorities which all staff have a role in taking forward. For example, the school has identified that pupils do not yet have good opportunities to assess their own progress in lessons, and work

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Grade: 2

has already begun on improving this area. The school does not yet involve parents systematically in the process of school self evaluation. As a result, a small minority feel that their views are not considered, although most support the school and appreciate the very high standards and good progress which their children make. The school has made a good improvement since its last inspection. For example, procedures and practices to support pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities have improved significantly. These pupils now make good progress as a result. Such improvements indicate that the school has a strong capacity to continue to improve.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Involve pupils in assessing their own progress. • Involve all parents in regularly identifying the school's strengths and weaknesses.

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Grade: 2

Throughout the school, pupils make good progress from their above average starting points. As a result, standards in national tests at the end of Year 6 are exceptionally 2 Inspection Report: Grimsdyke First and Middle School, 23 January 2007 high. Achievement is good. The school has tracked a slight dip in the progress that pupils make in English to their attainment in writing. A new tracking system along with providing exciting opportunities to write is already helping to address this. The school monitors pupils' progress carefully to ensure that all pupils make equally good progress, regardless of gender, ability or ethnicity.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development and well being, including their spiritual, social, moral and cultural development, are good. Pupils develop a good understanding of what it means to have a healthy lifestyle and are fully involved in helping to ensure that everyone gets on well together. Younger pupils comment very positively on the positive influence of older pupils at playtimes and lunchtimes. Pupils behave very well in lessons and demonstrate responsible attitudes in their dealings with others. For example, pupils thoroughly enjoyed a recent 'Respect' week which helped heighten their awareness of the dangers of bullying and racism. Pupils confidently offer their opinions, and the school council is beginning to influence decisions about school life, although this is still at an early stage. Pupils' very good basic skills combined with their growing confidence as they go through the school means that they look forward to their future

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. Pupils are keen and their attitudes to learning are very good. Teachers plan well to ensure that their lessons cater well for the different interests and abilities within their classes. This includes working well with other adults to ensure that pupils who are experiencing more difficulties get the support in lessons they need. Teachers use technology well to interest and extend pupils. For example, pupils in the Reception classes enjoy using the interactive whiteboards and respond very well to the challenge of using the keyboard to label their drawings and pictures. Pupils particularly enjoy opportunities they have to work collaboratively, but they do not have consistent opportunities to discuss and assess their own work and progress. Pupils take great care over the presentation of their work and helpful marking helps them learn how to improve it further.

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Grade: 2

The school's good curriculum is interesting and varied. There are good links between subjects and a range of after school and lunchtime clubs which help pupils extend and improve their physical and creative skills. Pupils also benefit from some lessons which 3 Inspection Report: Grimsdyke First and Middle School, 23 January 2007 are led by specialist staff, for example in French and music. The school provides an imaginative range of writing opportunities to ensure that pupils make good progress in this subject. The school makes good use of local partnerships to help pupils enjoy and learn from a range of visits and visitors. For example, a trip to a local Premiership football club is used to stimulate pupils' writing. The curriculum in the Foundation Stage is an exciting blend of adult and child led activities although the school has identified a need to improve the opportunities that children have to learn outdoors.

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Grade: 2

The school provides good care, guidance and support to pupils, enabling them to do well. Procedures to protect pupils are comprehensive and support for pupils with particular learning difficulties or disabilities has improved significantly since the last inspection. The school works well with an increasingly wide range of specialists to meet the needs of pupils who are more vulnerable, for example, play therapists and learning mentors. Teachers set challenging targets, although these are not always shared with pupils. A few parents feel they do not have enough information about their child's progress. The school has correctly identified that its recently improved systems for tracking pupils' progress over time are likely to further improve the academic guidance it provides.

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Grade: 2

The leadership of the school is well focused on further improving the learning and personal development of pupils. The new headteacher has set out a clear plan to continue to improve the education that the school provides. This includes ensuring that all teachers who have responsibilities for different subjects have good opportunities to monitor and improve teaching and learning. Governors make a good contribution to school life and act effectively as the school's 'critical friend'. A weaker area is the role of parents in school improvement. Whilst the school keeps parents informed of changes, it does not benefit from regular feedback on parents' perceptions of the impact of its work on their children. 4 Inspection Report: Grimsdyke First and Middle School, 23 January 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. 5 Inspection Report: Grimsdyke First and Middle School, 23 January 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 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

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?

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. 6 Inspection Report: Grimsdyke First and Middle School, 23 January 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? 7 Inspection Report: Grimsdyke First and Middle School, 23 January 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

It was lovely to meet you recently and to share in some of the things you were doing. During the day I spent with you, I was able to visit some of your lessons. It was very interesting to see how your teachers provide you with very good opportunities to learn, whether this means making fairy cakes with the youngest of you or by encouraging you to hone your mathematical skills on the laptop computers in Year 7. Learning new things in interesting ways is one of the reasons you enjoy school and do well. Talking to many of you also helped me to understand how the school helps you develop your personal skills as well, for example through your work as prefects and play leaders. I agree with you and your teachers that you go to a good school. You work hard, behave well and make very good progress. All the adults at the school and your parents want to make the school even better. For example, your headteacher, governors and staff meet regularly to see

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

what they can improve. Similarly, your school council is helping to represent your ideas and suggestions, as well as the pupil surveys which you all complete. There are two things which I have asked the school to do to help it to become even better. Firstly, I would like teachers to give you more opportunities to think about your own progress and learning. You may have noticed that your teachers have already begun working on this. Secondly, I have asked them to find out what your parents think more regularly. Although your school gives your parents lots of information, a few of them feel that the school doesn't take enough account of their views and suggestions. Involving your parents in improving the school will help make sure that they are all as happy with the school as you are. Thank you again for making me so welcome. I was just sorry I couldn't stay longer. With best wishes for the future, Nicola Davies

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Lead inspector 8 Inspection Report: Grimsdyke First and Middle School, 23 January 2007

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