Heathrow Primary School

Heathrow Primary School Inspection report

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102385 Unique Reference Number Hillingdon Local Authority 286356 Inspection number 9 July 2007 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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Primary Type of school Community School category 3 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 321 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Mr R Newing Chair Mr J Hobbs Headteacher 29 October 2002 Date of previous school inspection Harmondsworth Lane School address Sipson West Drayton UB7 0JQ

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020 8759 1628 Telephone number 020 8897 3028 Fax number

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3-11 Age group 9 July 2007 Inspection date 286356 Inspection number .

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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

Heathrow is a popular, above average size primary school. It is close to Heathrow airport and serves an area that is more disadvantaged than most although some of its pupils travel from further afield. It is located on land being considered as the site for the third runway at Heathrow. The proportions of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and for whom English is an additional language are higher than in most schools. In September 2006, six new teachers joined the school which means that just under half of the teachers are in their first year at the school.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 10 Inspection Report: Heathrow Primary School, 9 July 2007

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Grade: 1

Heathrow is an outstanding school. Standards are consistently high every year and the school strives for excellence in all respects. A major factor is the outstanding leadership of the headteacher and the high expectations he sets for both pupils and staff. There is a very harmonious community to which parents make a very valuable contribution. They are overwhelmingly very appreciative of the work of the school. One parent summed this up when she wrote, `I am always proud to say my child goes to Heathrow.' It is the school's deserved, very high reputation in the community that means that it has continued to be popular despite its uncertain future. The pupils themselves are excellent ambassadors for the school and take great pride in their school. Their behaviour is exemplary and they make an excellent contribution to the community. Children have broadly average skills for their age on entry to the Nursery. They make a very

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Grade: 1

good start in the Foundation Stage as a result of the very good provision. Pupils continue to receive good, and sometimes outstanding, teaching and make excellent progress during their time at school. Standards are consistently well above average in the national tests at the end of Key Stage 2 and they are exceptionally high in English. The school is not complacent and is constantly seeking to improve further. For instance, the percentages of pupils attaining the highest level 5 in English was identified as being too low in 2004. The school has raised teachers' expectations of what pupils can achieve, allocated extra resources and consequently results have improved very significantly in the last two years. The school is very inclusive and it has successful strategies for lower attaining pupils too. Given the pupils starting points achievement is outstanding. Leadership and management are excellent. This is exemplified by the continuing high

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Grade: 1

achievement by pupils and their excellent personal development and well-being. It is the strength of the school's monitoring and support procedures that mean these high standards have been maintained during a time when the staff turnover has been unusually high. The excellent curriculum is underpinned by the very good teamwork and joint planning. This means that new staff benefit from a secure planning framework and the support of more experienced colleagues. They are also encouraged to inject their own ideas. The blend of experience and new ideas gives the school a vitality tempered by a realistic view of what is possible. For instance, information and communication technology (ICT) is used well by teachers but the new coordinator has ambitious and exciting plans to extend its use even further next year in innovative ways. The quality of care, guidance and support is outstanding and the school has cultivated excellent

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Grade: 1

links with a wide range of other agencies. Pupils, therefore, feel very safe and relationships in the school are excellent. The school identifies very well when an individual pupil's performance dips and has a range of effective strategies that it uses when this occurs. It has recently changed its procedures for tracking the progress of pupils. The school is not yet analysing its own data in the most efficient way in order to identify trends for groups of pupils. This apart, the school has improved from being a very good school at the time of the previous inspection. Its own self-evaluation was too modest and capacity to improve further is excellent.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Extend the school's analysis of the data it collects to better identify trends for groups of pupils. 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Heathrow Primary School, 9 July 2007

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Grade: 1

Standards are high at each key stage and very high when pupils leave the school. This means that pupils are exceptionally well prepared for moving on to secondary schools. Children meet or exceed the early learning goals at the end of the Foundation Stage. The results in national tests and assessments are above average at Key Stage 1 and well above average at Key Stage 2. The school responds very robustly whenever its high expectations are not realised. Efforts to increase the number of pupils attaining the higher level 3 in reading and writing by the end of Year 2 resulted in a significant improvement in reading. It is now redoubling its efforts to improve writing standards. In 2006, the test results for Year 6 reflected very good progress in Key Stage 2 overall. This masked the fact that pupils' progress was exceptional in English and average in mathematics. This has been tackled successfully by matching the work more accurately

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Grade: 1

to pupils' needs in mathematics. Consequently, the provisional results for 2007 show a marked improvement with almost all pupils reaching the expected level. Achievement is now excellent overall. Pupils with English as an additional language make exceptional progress as shown by the English results. Some data suggest that this is not consistently the case for pupils of Indian heritage in all their other subjects although they do make at least good progress. However, the school's analysis is not sufficiently refined to resolve this question.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent. Pupils demonstrate a very sensitive understanding of other beliefs and cultures. They say, and their parents agree, that the adults in the school set very good role models. Behaviour is exemplary and the pupils say that bullying is very rare. Pupils speak very enthusiastically about the school. As one pupil said, `You get a really good education but it is still fun. You want to come to school.' The school council is effective, has its own budget and feels that its views are valued. For instance, it has been able to improve the equipment available in the playground.

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Grade: 2

Teaching is consistently good with outstanding features. Teachers have very good subject knowledge. They make lessons exciting by using a wide range of strategies including talking partners, the use of song and drama to enhance learning and opportunities for pupils to research and discover things for themselves. They also make very good use of interactive white boards to add interest to lessons. They manage their classes very well so that there is a very positive learning atmosphere and this is very much appreciated by the pupils. Although never less than satisfactory, teaching varies in its effectiveness to set challenging work to mixed-ability and mixed-age classes. This has been the case while new teachers adapt their teaching styles and get to know the pupils. However, pupils' achievement has remained excellent during this time. This is because of the effective additional support available to the pupils through intervention

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Grade: 2

programmes, focus groups and additional in-class support. Parents are also very supportive of their children's learning. 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Heathrow Primary School, 9 July 2007

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Grade: 1

In the Foundation Stage the children experience a good range of activities. The school makes best use of cramped accommodation but plans have been accepted to extend the Nursery. Throughout the school there is excellent provision for personal, social and health education and this contributes to pupils' outstanding development. The school is well resourced for ICT and it is used extensively to enhance learning in other subjects. In every classroom there is access to the internet and this link is used well by pupils to investigate and research topics. All classes contain pupils spanning two years in age and this organisation is determined by the number of pupils that the school admits each year. The school manages this well. There is a well planned two-year rolling programme where subjects are taught to mixed ability groups of pupils. As a result of good use of teamwork and subject expertise, planning is exemplary and

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Grade: 1

ensures that all pupils' needs are met. Very high quality displays celebrate the work of all pupils but also demonstrate the richness of their experiences. The school is planning to expand the teaching of modern foreign languages next year. There is an excellent range of extra-curricular activities that are well attended. Visitors provide a rich source of new ideas and expertise including poets, authors and musicians. These contribute very significantly to pupils' considerable enjoyment of school.

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Grade: 1

The school has excellent links with a range of agencies. These have been used very well, for instance, to provide very effective support for pupils with behavioural and other needs. One pupil was diagnosed with a serious condition. The parent writes, `The teaching staff and headmaster have been fantastic. They have supported our family throughout this awful time.' The school is very inclusive. There are robust procedures for safeguarding pupils. Academic guidance is very good. The school uses assessment data to support individual pupils well. Additionally, it identifies focus groups to receive extra support and encouragement in lessons. This works very well and these pupils meet regularly with a member of staff to discuss their progress. The parents of these pupils are usefully kept informed and this enables them to make a contribution too.

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Grade: 1

The effectiveness of leadership and management is shown by the consistently high standards and quality of care. The driving force is the headteacher but he has successfully involved and supported others in leading initiatives. He is helped considerably by a very able senior management team. Additionally, subject leaders are very effective. The quality of their monitoring and review of how well actions achieve their aims is better than in most schools. There are strong accountability procedures and this rigour is one of the reasons for the school's success. It also means that agreed whole-school policies are implemented consistently by all staff. New teachers are inducted very well and benefit from the good and established planning framework and clear procedures. Consequently, they are able to settle and make a significant contribution quickly. The governors are an integral part of the school community. They support

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Grade: 1

and challenge the school well. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Heathrow Primary School, 9 July 2007 .

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Grade: 1

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Heathrow Primary School, 9 July 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

1 How well do learners achieve? 2 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 2 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 of 10 Inspection Report: Heathrow Primary School, 9 July 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 of 10 Inspection Report: Heathrow Primary School, 9 July 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

18 July 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of Heathrow Primary School,West Drayton,UB7 0JQ Thank you very much for the help and cooperation you gave me when I inspected your school. You told me that Heathrow is an excellent school and I agree. I met some of your school councillors and they told me that their views are valued. They have their own budget and they have improved the equipment available in the play ground. There is much that I like about your school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Children in the Nursery and Reception classes get off to a very good start.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You do very well in the national tests at the end of Year 2 and Year 6.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You behave extremely well and are a credit to the school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You mature into responsible young people.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You have good teachers who make lessons interesting and fun.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ There are so many extra events and visits that you can take part in.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

There is one thing that I am asking the school to do in order to improve even further. It has recently changed the way in which it records the assessments it makes on how well each of you is doing. It recognises that it needs to use these assessments to check on the progress of groups as well as individual pupils. Thank you again. It was a privilege to visit your school. I wish you continuing success in the future. Barry Jones Lead inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Heathrow Primary School, 9 July 2007

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