Ellingham Primary SchoolOfsted inspection, 1 Mar 2007

Inspection Report Ellingham Primary School

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102568 Unique Reference Number Kingston Upon Thames Local Authority 286424 Inspection number 28 February °1 March 2007 Inspection dates Michael Chisnall 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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Ellingham Road School address Primary Type of school Chessington Community School category KT9 2JA 3 °11 Age range of pupils 020 8397 3864 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 020 8391 4764 Fax number 236 Number on roll (school) Mr Eric Duffel Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Ian Jones Headteacher 10 February 2003 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 286424 28 February °1 March 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.

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Description of the school

Ellingham is an average sized school that is heavily over-subscribed; there is growing mobility in Key Stage 2. It draws its children from the local area, representing a wide range of social backgrounds and the full range of ability. However, taken overall, most children start at school with average attainment. The proportion of children eligible for free school meals has risen in recent years and is now around average. There are fewer children with learning difficulties or disabilities than found nationally. About a fifth of children are from a minority ethnic heritage but no one group predominates. The school roll includes a 26 place nursery that operates each morning.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Ellingham Primary School, 28 February °1 March 2007

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Grade: 2

Ellingham is providing its children with a good quality education and one that is recognised and valued by the children and their parents and carers. This was summed up by one child who wrote, 'Ellingham is anything but boring; it is fun, friendly and full of surprises.' There are a number of factors that contribute to this positive picture, not least of which is the focus the school has on developing both the personal and academic sides of its children. In this endeavour it is very successful, enabling children to reach above average standards by the time they leave the school, having made good progress from their starting points. In addition, the children are well-rounded young citizens, who are confident, polite and very well-behaved. They enjoy their learning very much and take great pride in helping others, both in class and around the school. They have a very well developed sense of responsibility, whether acting as mediators,

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Grade: 2

buddies or simply helping a friend in a lesson. Children get off to a flying start in the Foundation Stage, in both the Nursery and the Reception class. This is because the teaching is good and sometimes excellent and staff make first-rate assessments of children's needs and their progress. Activities, whether indoors or outdoors, are varied and designed to provide children with opportunities to learn about themselves, the world around them and especially in number and language. As a result of this excellent provision, progress is good and children gain the skills needed for later learning. Through consistently good teaching in both Key Stages 1 and 2, children continue to progress well and achieve standards that are good for their abilities. No groups of children underachieve and, thanks to first-class provision for children with learning difficulties, this group also makes good progress. A very strong feature of the school

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Grade: 2

is the way that it tracks how well children are doing and makes the right provision for them, whether it is for their academic needs or for their personal development. Setting targets for their learning is part and parcel of each child's experience and this makes a major contribution to their commitment to learning. Very good leadership and management from the headteacher and deputy headteacher have enabled the school to make accurate judgements about its strengths and weaknesses. Supported by a strong staff team, they are successfully tackling issues to do with boys' writing and number work. They recognise that spelling is not as good as it should be, especially in Key Stage 2, and have begun to work on it. Managers check how well staff are teaching and give them advice about how to improve their work still further. This advice is not as good as it might be because some of it is too general. Governors give very good support to the school but their organisation of how

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Grade: 2

they check how well the school is doing is not systematic or independent enough.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve spelling, particularly in Key Stage 2. • Ensure greater consistency in the quality of feedback that staff receive. 2 Inspection Report: Ellingham Primary School, 28 February °1 March 2007 • Strengthen the capacity of the governing body to make independent checks on how well the school is doing.

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Grade: 2

Overall, achievement is good. Children make good progress from their starting points and attain above average standards by the end of Year 6. When they start in the Nursery, children's skills in mathematics and language are at below expected levels but their social skills are a little above. They make good progress in the Foundation Stage because of consistently good and excellent teaching in the Nursery and Reception classes and a rich range of experiences and activities. As a result, when they move into Key Stage 1, most of them are working securely within the early learning goals set for them and a significant minority exceed them, particularly in communication, language and literacy. This good progress continues in Key Stage 1 and children are achieving well. They are reaching standards that are above average. This is also because of good teaching and early intervention and support for those children at risk of not making the progress

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Grade: 2

expected of them, for instance boys and their writing skills. The school has successfully reversed a recent downward trend in standards. Standards are also above average in Key Stage 2 and children maintain their good progress and achievements. Relative weakness in number work, particularly among some girls, has been tackled well and standards in mathematics are rising to meet those in English and science. Spelling is not as good as it should be. The school has recognised this and begun work to improve it but there is still more to be done. Religious education is no longer a weakness. More able children are challenged well to make good progress, as are those who find learning harder. These children also achieve well.

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Grade: 1

Children's personal development and well-being, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, are outstanding. They get on very well with each other and with adults. They are confident, articulate and more than able to make their voices heard. Their behaviour is excellent and this really helps them to get on with their learning. In class and around the school, they are polite and helpful and fully understand the impact their actions or words might have on others. They show a very well-developed understanding of the richness of life and learning, making thoughtful comments such as, 'Art cheers me up inside', and 'singing makes me feel happy and alert.' They also appreciate the diversity of society and know the value of learning from other cultures. Attendance is good. Children very much enjoy school and comment very positively on their interesting lessons. The work that the school has done to raise awareness of the

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Grade: 1

3 Inspection Report: Ellingham Primary School, 28 February °1 March 2007 need to live healthy lives has paid off. The children have an excellent understanding of sensible eating and regular exercise. They have many opportunities to contribute to the school community, such as the school council or mediators, and these result in them showing real confidence and willingness to help others. They are very well prepared for the next stage in their education and are developing useful life-skills very well indeed, for example working together or planning school events.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are consistently good with some excellent features. They are at the heart of children's good progress. Staff are particularly skilled at posing open-ended questions that make children think. This, and the wide range of learning activities provided, makes a big contribution to giving the children intellectual challenge. A lot of work has been done with staff on the different ways that children learn. This is bearing fruit and children really appreciate their lessons, described as exciting by several of them. Staff are assessing children's progress very well and planning the right levels of work for them to maintain good progress. The involvement of children in setting and checking their targets is a strong feature that helps them to take responsibility for their learning. Staff have created a very supportive environment, founded on high quality relationships, where feedback to children is sensitive and helpful and allows them to learn from

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Grade: 2

mistakes or misconceptions when they occur. Teaching could be even better if lessons moved at a faster pace, particularly introductory sessions, giving children more time to work independently or in small groups.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good overall and meets children's needs and interest well. The provision for personal, social and emotional development is very strong and enables children to grow as young citizens. There is a very good range of after-school activities that cater for different interests, such as a sewing club, the choir, and the hockey club, which adds another dimension to sports provision. The school makes good use of visitors to the school to enrich children's experiences. For example, the African drummers helped to extend awareness of different musical traditions. In addition, visits to places of interest, including a residential trip for Year 6, bring the wider world into the curriculum. There is very good outdoor provision for the Foundation Stage but this is more limited for older children. The lack of access to a field limits the physical education curriculum somewhat. Library provision is poor, due to the limitations of the building. However,

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Grade: 2

the school is compensating for this by including independent learning time for children to undertake personal research. 4 Inspection Report: Ellingham Primary School, 28 February °1 March 2007

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Grade: 1

The school provides outstanding care, guidance and support for its children and ensures that each of them really does matter. It tracks their academic and personal development very closely enabling early and well-targeted support to be provided where needed. Provision for children with learning difficulties or disabilities is excellent. Support is very well matched to need and a highly trained team of outstanding teaching assistants is deployed to support the work of teachers. Excellent links with external agencies, including local school cluster arrangements, are used to provide even more focused support when appropriate. Safeguarding arrangements are very good and the school checks staff suitability thoroughly. The school site is secure during the day. As one child wrote as part of a wall display, 'I know that I am safe because the gates and doors are locked'.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good overall. The headteacher and deputy headteacher provide very good leadership, giving very clear directions for improvement. They know the school and its children very well indeed. They are well supported by other managers in the school who play their part in overseeing key stages and individual subjects. Between them, they check up on how well the school is progressing, make accurate judgements about strengths and weaknesses and make good plans for further improvement. These plans, although detailed and thorough, do not consistently identify the gains expected in children's learning as a result of changes to the curriculum or teaching. Teachers receive regular feedback on their work in the classroom. Some of this is inconsistent because they get insufficient detail about their teaching of different subjects and about how well children are learning them. The governing body meets its responsibilities satisfactorily. Governors give the school

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Grade: 2

very good support and they are rightly proud to be associated with it. They play their part well in helping to give the school a steer for the future, for instance in planning finances or improving resources. Their monitoring of the school's work is not systematic or independent enough and there is an over-reliance on the senior staff to keep them informed of developments. The leadership of the school has successfully maintained the several strengths found at the last inspection and has brought about further improvement, notably in the quality of the teaching and in children's personal development. It continues to give good value for money. 5 Inspection Report: Ellingham Primary School, 28 February °1 March 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. 6 Inspection Report: Ellingham Primary School, 28 February °1 March 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? 1 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? 2 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 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. 7 Inspection Report: Ellingham Primary School, 28 February °1 March 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: Ellingham Primary School, 28 February °1 March 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for the very warm welcome you gave me when I inspected your school recently. I enjoyed visiting your classes and the many discussions we had. Thank you for sharing your views about Ellingham; they were very helpful to me. In return, I would like to tell you about my judgements about your school. • Your behaviour is excellent and you get on very well with each other and with adults. • You are developing very well as young citizens and have an excellent understanding of how to grow up safe and healthy. • The way that you take responsibility around the school, for instance as mediators, buddies or as prefects, is impressive. • You are taught well and you enjoy interesting lessons. • You know well how you are getting on and are very good at setting targets for yourselves. • The staff look after you very well indeed and make sure that you get extra help when you need it; if you find work easy, you are challenged to learn even more.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

• Your school is run very well by the headteacher and deputy headteacher. • The youngest children make a very good start in the nursery and reception classes. As a result of all this, you make good progress in your work and when you leave the school in Year 6, the standard of your work is above average. Your spelling is not as good as it should be and I have asked the staff to look at ways of helping you improve it. I am sure you will have ideas about how they can help you; perhaps you can share them with your teachers. Your teachers sometimes help each other by making suggestions about lessons; I have given them ideas about how they might do this even better. I have also asked the governing body to organise their visits to school in a better way so that they can see for themselves how you are doing. Thanks, again, for my two very enjoyable days. I wish you all the best in the future and hope Ellingham will go from strength to strength.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Yours sincerely Michael ChisnallHer Majesty's Inspector 9 Inspection Report: Ellingham Primary School, 28 February °1 March 2007

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