Stratford Manor Primary School & Nursery

102729 Unique Reference Number Newham Local Authority 286473 Inspection number 7 °8 November 2006 Inspection dates Mary Summers 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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Richardson Road School address Primary Type of school London Community School category E15 3BA 3 °11 Age range of pupils 020 8534 2238 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 020 8519 8961 Fax number 376 Number on roll (school) Mrs I Darling Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Ms T N'Guessan Headteacher 1 October 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 286473 7 °8 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 three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

The school draws pupils from the local area which is currently undergoing regeneration. Over the last two years, families have been moved into other areas and this has resulted in a drop in the school roll. A significant number of pupils come from refugee families who often move on quickly to more permanent housing. About a third of pupils come from Black African backgrounds, a fifth are White British and there is a significant number from Bangladeshi families. The remainder represent a wide range of minority ethnic groups. About two thirds speak English as an additional language and most are in the early stages of learning the language. A quarter of pupils have learning difficulties, an above-average proportion. There has been a large turnover of teaching staff since July 2006.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Manor Primary School, 7 °8 November 2006

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Grade: 3

The school provides a satisfactory education for the pupils. Children start in the Nursery at levels which are often below those expected nationally. Most are in the very early stages of learning English. They make reasonable progress in the Foundation Stage, which provides a sound range of experiences to support all aspects of their development. Standards at the end of Year 6 are still below average for pupils' age but this represents satisfactory achievement considering the high numbers who start in different year groups, many with little English. They are reasonably well prepared for the future in terms of their literacy and numeracy skills. However, not enough of the most able pupils reach the higher levels in the national tests. The school successfully helps pupils to respect one another's views and beliefs and develop good behaviour and attitudes to learning. Pupils enjoy their education, especially the visits arranged to make learning more interesting. They appreciate the

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Grade: 3

way their opinions are valued and acted upon, for example through the School Council. They are learning how to keep safe and healthy and become useful citizens of the future through their good work in the local community. The school recently reviewed its curriculum to try to make it more interesting and relevant to pupils' needs. This has been successful but, in the process, there has not been enough focus on the effectiveness of teaching of basic skills in literacy and numeracy, which has led to a fall in standards in reading in Year 2. Teaching is satisfactory overall and there is some good teaching for example in Years 4 and 6, helping pupils to make effective progress. Teachers provide interesting activities to make learning relevant and pupils respond well, showing real enjoyment in their work. Although good information is provided for teachers about pupils' individual achievement and needs, this is not always used well enough to plan work at appropriate

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Grade: 3

levels to help them take the next steps in their learning. The school runs smoothly and pupils are safe and secure. Parents have confidence in the school and appreciate its work with their children. Leadership and management are satisfactory. Senior leaders monitor pupils' achievements accurately and know which aspects require improvement. Monitoring of teaching, however, is inadequate and has led to inconsistencies across the school and consequently, to variation in the quality of pupils' learning. Plans for improvement lack detail and clarity. The governing body, whilst supportive and interested, lack robust systems to monitor the school's work effectively.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve pupils' achievement in English and mathematics, especially that of the most able pupils, and improve standards in reading in Year 2. • Ensure that teachers use the information from tests, assessments and marking to plan work which meets the needs of different pupils more closely. 2 Inspection Report: Manor Primary School, 7 °8 November 2006 • Monitor teaching more effectively, ensuring that subject co-ordinators and governors become more involved in monitoring provision and improving school performance. • Plan more effectively for school improvement, linking actions with desired outcomes and spending, and identifying clear procedures to judge their effectiveness.

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Grade: 3

Achievement is satisfactory but standards are below average because children start school at levels which are below those expected for their age. They make satisfactory progress in the Nursery and Reception classes but, by the time they start in Year 1, only a few reach nationally expected goals, especially in communication, language and literacy and mathematical development. Pupils continue to achieve satisfactorily in Years 1 and 2 but standards at the end of Year 2 are still below average, with results in the most recent tests showing a significant fall in reading standards. Standards in Year 6 are below average. Achievement is satisfactory overall, although very few pupils reach the higher levels in the tests. Pupils from different ethnic groups make similar progress. Pupils with learning difficulties and those for whom English is an additional language often make good progress, especially in literacy when they

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Grade: 3

receive small group support outside the class.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development and well-being, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, are good. Most pupils enjoy school and attend regularly. They are interested and well motivated. They work together well and form strong friendships, showing good levels of respect for one another's cultures and values. As one parent noted, 'Sometimes you see those who are more confident help those who are less so. I think that is fabulous.' Spirituality, though satisfactory, is not as strong as other elements, with pupils not reflecting enough about their beliefs and values in lessons and assemblies. Pupils readily accept responsibility and those who are school councillors take their roles seriously. They take an active role within the community by working as Junior Road Safety Officers and participating in the local carnival. They know how to keep themselves safe. In developing healthy lifestyles, most choose healthy options in school

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Grade: 2

and are keen to take part in sports. They are satisfactorily prepared for the future in terms of their ability to work together, although their literacy and numeracy skills are still below average for their age. 3 Inspection Report: Manor Primary School, 7 °8 November 2006

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Grade: 3

Teaching is satisfactory with examples of good practice across the school. This leads to pupils making satisfactory and occasionally good progress. Relationships between teachers and pupils are good and form the foundation of effective behaviour management. There is a positive ethos of reward and celebration where learning is fun and, consequently, pupils enjoy their lessons. Teachers involve pupils practically in their learning. In a Year 3 geography lesson, for example, pupils were each given a Tube map which they had to use to plan a journey across London. They were totally engrossed in the task, learning how to use a key to read the map and also how to find stations by using co-ordinates. Teaching assistants are used well to support pupils with learning difficulties and those who are at the early stages of learning English. Some teachers use the good assessment information available to ensure that work is

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Grade: 3

pitched at different levels to reflect the wide range of pupils' abilities but this is not always the case across the school. The best teaching practice is not shared sufficiently to help less experienced teachers learn from their colleagues.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory. It has been developed recently to engage pupils more closely and teach them key learning skills for the future. There is a good emphasis on pupils' personal and cultural development which helps them develop positive relationships, standing them in good stead for the future. Good opportunities are provided for pupils outside school to make learning fun. Visits to places of interest for example, the Houses of Parliament, illustrate aspects of history and citizenship as well as making pupils aware of their rich cultural heritage. The school expects curriculum plans to take into account the different needs of pupils but, because of weak monitoring procedures, this does not always happen in practice. This is a particular issue for brighter pupils in English and mathematics.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good. Staff are vigilant in ensuring pupils' safety and this contributes to their feelings of security and their readiness to learn. Good links with parents have helped to improve attendance. These begin in the early years through good induction procedures when children join the Nursery. Further useful links are established through regular meetings with Bangladeshi and Somali parents to help them take a more active part in their children's education. There are good procedures in place to assess pupils' needs early and provide appropriate support, with help from outside agencies. Support staff work successfully with pupils 4 Inspection Report: Manor Primary School, 7 °8 November 2006 who have emotional and behavioural difficulties to help them take a full part in school life. Pupils' progress is tracked appropriately and contributes to the planning of pupils' targets. These targets, however, are not always as challenging as they might be, and

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Grade: 2

marking does not provide sufficient guidance about how pupils might improve their work.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory. There has been satisfactory improvement since the last inspection. Attendance has risen and the school now has effective partnerships with parents. The school is successful in helping pupils to develop positive attitudes and learning skills. Accurate analysis of pupils' achievement means that the correct areas have been identified for improvement. However, plans for school improvement do not focus clearly enough on raising standards. They do not provide clear monitoring and evaluation processes to help the school get an accurate picture of how well actions are affecting pupils' achievement. The monitoring of teaching lacks rigour and has led to inconsistencies in quality. Subject co-ordinators do not have sufficient opportunities to monitor provision. They do not have a clear view of what is working and what requires improvement. This limits their ability to work supportively with colleagues.

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Grade: 3

Staff responsible for managing provision for pupils with learning difficulties, and those for whom English is an additional language, have a clear understanding of where provision needs to improve. Some innovations, for example the writing group for more able pupils, are already helping to extend pupils' skills. Governors, whilst providing good levels of encouragement, do not have secure systems in place to enable them to monitor the school's work adequately. 5 Inspection Report: Manor Primary School, 7 °8 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: Manor Primary School, 7 °8 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? 3 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 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: Manor Primary School, 7 °8 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: Manor Primary School, 7 °8 November 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you so much for your warm welcome and for sharing with us your views about your school. The other inspectors and I saw many things that were good but also found some which we think could be even better. These are the things we think are good. • You are growing up as confident, well-behaved young people who enjoy learning and know how to keep safe and healthy. • Most of you attend regularly and arrive on time so you don't miss important lessons. • You show good levels of respect for each other's different cultures and values. • Adults listen to your ideas so you can help to make school better for everyone. • Adults take good care of you and give you help if you need it. These are the things we thing could be better. • You could reach higher standards in English and mathematics. • The people in charge need to check more closely how well things are going and plan more carefully about how to make them better.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

• Teachers need to follow your progress more carefully to make sure they are giving you the right sort of work in lessons. It is important that you support your teachers in making things better by giving them your views regularly and working hard in lessons. Yours faithfully, Mrs Mary Summers Lead Inspector 9 Inspection Report: Manor Primary School, 7 °8 November 2006

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