Andrews Lane Primary School

Andrews Lane Primary School Inspection report

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117302 Unique Reference Number HERTFORDSHIRE Local Authority 290792 Inspection number 28 °29 June 2007 Inspection dates Alison Pangbourne 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 208 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Miss Pam Francis Chair Mrs Sue Butcher (Acting Headteacher) Headteacher 22 April 2002 Date of previous school inspection Andrews Lane School address Cheshunt Waltham Cross Hertfordshire EN7 6LB

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01992623065 Telephone number 01992638199 Fax number

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3 °11 Age group 28 °29 June 2007 Inspection dates 290792 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This school is of average size. A large majority of pupils come from White British families with a small minority from minority ethnic backgrounds. About 11% are at an early stage of learning to speak English with home languages such as Turkish and Greek. When children enter the Nursery, their attainment is below expectations, particularly in language skills, although this is not the case for all children. The proportion taking a free school meal is above average as is the number of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities. The school accommodates a Primary Support Base that provides for the needs of up to six pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties from local schools. The number of pupils joining or leaving the school other than at the usual times is high. The privately run pre-school group, parent and toddler groups and after-school care operate on the site. The deputy headteacher has been acting

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Description of the school

headteacher since April 2007 following the retirement of the previous headteacher.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Andrews Lane Primary School, 28 °29 June 2007

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Grade: 3

This is a satisfactory school that gives satisfactory value for money. It is currently experiencing an unsettled period pending the appointment of a new headteacher. However, the acting headteacher is ensuring that the school moves forward and that the pupils' education is not adversely affected. She uses the support offered by an experienced neighbouring headteacher well. Parents are positive about the current situation. One wrote, 'The school has a lovely atmosphere and all the staff are approachable.' The pupils agree, saying that there is always someone they can turn to if they are worried. Pupils' personal development is satisfactory. They become confident to take on a range of responsibilities because they are given a good level of pastoral support. Behaviour is good. Pupils are polite and friendly. The appropriate emphasis on healthy lifestyles and keeping safe means that pupils know what makes a healthy diet and how to keep fit. They make a sound

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Grade: 3

contribution to the community, raising funds for disadvantaged children. Attendance rates are below average despite the school's best efforts to encourage good attendance and punctuality. Overall, the care, support and guidance offered to pupils are sound. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Teaching is strongest in the Foundation Stage and Years 1-2. Here, expectations are high and exciting activities motivate the pupils. Teaching assistants provide sound support, particularly for those with learning difficulties and those who speak English as an additional language. However, in Years 3 to 6 not all teachers provide tasks that are closely matched to the needs of all pupils and this has a negative impact on the progress of some of these older pupils. Occasionally lessons are unimaginative and fail to motivate pupils sufficiently. The curriculum is satisfactory and pupils enjoy what it offers.

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Grade: 3

Themed days and an appropriate range of visits and visitors enrich learning. The school provides sound academic support and guidance for its pupils. Achievement is satisfactory overall and standards are broadly average. Progress is satisfactory but uneven. Children in the Foundation Stage and pupils in Years 1 and 2 make good progress whereas pupils in Years 3 to 6 generally make satisfactory progress. Although children in the Reception class achieve well in relation to their starting points most do not reach the expected standard by the beginning of Year 1 because they have so much ground to make up. However, standards are slowly rising throughout the school. Inspection findings concur with the school's assessments that standards in Year 2 are broadly average in reading, writing and mathematics. In Year 6 there are a high number of pupils with learning difficulties and a significant number have joined the school since Year 2. Indications are that all pupils have made at least satisfactory

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Grade: 3

progress and they are on course to meet their targets in English and mathematics. Nevertheless standards overall are below national averages. Leadership and management are satisfactory. The acting headteacher is diligently building on the school's strengths, ensuring that all necessary policies and procedures are in place and introducing several new initiatives. She is well supported by senior staff who are increasingly meeting the demands of their roles. They have an accurate view about how well the school is doing but the school improvement plan is not focussed sharply enough to measure progress towards its targets. The improvements that have taken place since the previous inspection show that the school has a satisfactory capacity to improve. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Andrews Lane Primary School, 28 °29 June 2007

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What the school should do to improve further

• Enable all pupils, particularly those in Years 3 to 6, to make good or better progress by ensuring that tasks are closely matched to their needs. • Build on existing good practice to ensure consistency across the school and to raise the quality of teaching and learning to good or better. • Identify precise and easily measurable targets in the school improvement plan so that it can be used effectively as a tool for bringing about needed change. A small proportion of schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory but which have areas of underperformance will receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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Grade: 3

Children make good progress in the Nursery and Reception class because the quality of teaching is good and the interesting curriculum encourages them to learn. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 also make good progress. In the Year 2 assessments for 2006, standards rose to above average in reading, writing and mathematics. In the national tests for pupils at Year 6, standards were broadly average in English and mathematics. The proportion reaching the higher levels was broadly average. Standards attained this year are slightly lower being broadly average in reading, writing and mathematics at Year 2 and below average in English and mathematics at Year 6. There is a high proportion of pupils with learning difficulties in both year groups and while standards overall are below average, pupils have made at least satisfactory progress in relation to their starting points. Pupils with learning difficulties and those at an early stage of learning

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Grade: 3

English make satisfactory progress because they receive sound support for their learning.

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Grade: 3

Pupils generally behave well in lessons, assemblies and around the school. Incidents of bullying or harassment are rare. Pupils enjoy their lessons and activities. Attendance is below average but it is improving because of the school's efforts to reward good attendance and discourage parents from keeping their children away from school unnecessarily. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is satisfactory overall. There are moments for reflection in assemblies, where individual achievement is also celebrated. Pupils develop a sense of responsibility within the school, with older pupils helping younger ones, playing with them or reading them stories. Older pupils have taken the initiative in raising funds for the treatment of a sick pupil by producing and selling a school magazine. All pupils have a voice in the running of the school through their forum 'Pupils of Andrews Lane Speak'. Opportunities for them to

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Grade: 3

appreciate the diversity of cultures in the wider community are more limited. Pupils have a sound understanding of the need to stay healthy through their eating and exercise. They develop satisfactorily the basic skills they need for their future life. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Andrews Lane Primary School, 28 °29 June 2007

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Grade: 3

The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall, because, although there are strengths in teaching, practice is inconsistent. In the best lessons, generally for the younger pupils, there is a strong emphasis on developing basic literacy and numeracy skills in exciting ways that motivate them. Expectations are high and lessons proceed at a good pace. Teaching assistants are well deployed in all classes and this contributes to the achievement of all pupils, particularly for those with learning difficulties and those who speak English as an additional language. In some lessons different tasks are set according to pupils' level of attainment. However, in other lessons, particularly for the older pupils, they are expected to work on similar tasks. This limits their rate of progress. In a number of lessons, teaching is mundane and lacks 'excitement'. Assessment procedures are sound and the school plans to extend these to the foundation subjects next

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Grade: 3

National requirements are met, although opportunities for pupils to learn to swim have only recently been introduced in Year 6. The teaching of a modern foreign language is at an early stage, as is the use of information and communication technology across all subjects. Lessons are satisfactorily supplemented by visits and visitors, including a residential visit for Year 6 pupils, as well as themed days, such as a Roman day or a visit by a poet. There is an appropriate range of extra-curricular clubs for sport, gardening, music and art, many of which take place at lunch-time, and give additional support to pupils' learning and social development. The sound provision for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities and for those whose first language is not English enables these pupils to make progress at the same rate as others.

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Grade: 3

Teachers know pupils well and take good care of them. Good support is also provided by the Support Base for those pupils who have learning or behavioural difficulties. All safeguarding procedures are in place and risk assessments take place for activities both in and out of school. The school monitors carefully any incidents of a racist nature. Pupils feel safe in school and are confident that there is someone they can turn to if they are in difficulty. Academic guidance is satisfactory. Pupils have their own targets in English and mathematics, but these are not always sufficiently specific or clearly understood by pupils to have a significant impact on their learning. The school has not yet identified those pupils who are gifted or talented to give them the additional support they need.

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Grade: 3

The acting headteacher is introducing new initiatives to move the school forward. For example, in the short time that she has been in post, she has re-structured the school day to ensure that latecomers do not miss valuable beginnings to lessons and she has brought about significant 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Andrews Lane Primary School, 28 °29 June 2007 improvements to the environment. She promotes an inclusive and supportive school with a strong team spirit. The senior management team monitor standards and achievement appropriately to identify areas of weakness and they have successfully raised standards in writing. Subject leaders fulfil their roles satisfactorily. The governors are supportive and act as 'critical friends'. They funded an extra teacher for the current Year 6 so these pupils could be taught in two small classes to meet their needs. This has had a positive impact on standards and pupils' behaviour. The acting headteacher and the governors have appropriate systems for

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Grade: 3

checking how well the school is doing but the targets on the school improvement plan are too imprecise for the school to easily measure progress towards them. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Andrews Lane Primary School, 28 °29 June 2007 .

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Grade: 3

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Andrews Lane Primary School, 28 °29 June 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 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?

3 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 3 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 3 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 3 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?

3 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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Andrews Lane Primary School, 28 °29 June 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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Andrews Lane Primary School, 28 °29 June 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

29 June 2007 Dear Children Inspection of Andrews Lane Primary School, Cheshunt, Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, EN7 6LB Thank you for helping us when we visited your school. We enjoyed talking to you and watching you learn. We would like to tell you what we found out. You told us that you enjoy school and that the grown-ups look after you and help you learn. We agree with you. You make good progress in the Nursery, Reception class and in Years 1 and 2. We thought that your behaviour was good and that you were polite and friendly to visitors. You know how to keep healthy by eating the right foods and raise money for children who are not as lucky as you. Your families like your school too. We have asked Mrs Butcher and the teachers to help the older pupils do even better by giving you activities that are just right for what you need to learn. You can help by continuing to try as hard as you can. Some teachers have really good ideas for making learning interesting for

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

you and we have asked them to share these with each other. We have also asked the school leaders to make sure that their plans to make the school even better are clearer. We hope you carry on enjoying your time at Andrews Lane Primary School and do well in your next school. Best wishes Alison Pangbourne Lead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Andrews Lane Primary School, 28 °29 June 2007

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