Clore Tikva School

131682 Unique Reference Number Redbridge Local Authority 293812 Inspection number 19 °20 June 2007 Inspection dates Nick Butt 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 Voluntary aided School category 3 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 449 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Dr R Burack Chair Ms L Rosenberg Headteacher 19 March 2001 Date of previous school inspection 115 Fulwell Avenue School address Barkingside Ilford IG6 2JN

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020 8551 1097 Telephone number 020 8551 2070 Fax number

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3 °11 Age group 19 °20 June 2007 Inspection dates 293812 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 three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This large school has a nursery and serves the whole Jewish community in a wide geographical area. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is below average. The large majority of pupils are from a White British heritage with small numbers from a range of minority ethnic backgrounds. Very few pupils speak English as an additional language. The number of pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities is below average, but the proportion with statements of special educational need is above average. The school has an award for promoting healthy lifestyles. The school opened in 1999 and its first Year 6 cohort left in July 2006.

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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: Clore Tikva School, 19 °20 June 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school with aspects that are outstanding. Under the excellent leadership of the headteacher and deputy head a strong team has been forged that is totally committed to meeting the academic and personal needs of the whole child. This is seen not only in pupils' good achievement and the above average standards they reach, but also in their outstanding personal development and well being. The pupils love coming to school and thoroughly enjoy their lessons because teachers make them interesting and fun. Children learn quickly in the Foundation Stage because of the good provision they receive with its emphasis on teaching early basic skills. The school's curriculum is exceptionally well enriched with exciting links across subjects. The integration of Hebrew as a modern foreign language and Jewish studies enhances the curricular provision considerably. All pupils achieve well because of the good teaching and the focused support they receive from

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Grade: 2

teaching assistants. A successful initiative has led to improved standards in mathematics in Years 1 and 2. Standards are a little below average in writing by the end of Year 2 and the school wishes to apply the same strategies here that have led to a considerable improvement in pupils' skills in Years 3 to 6. Pupils' behaviour and their attitudes to learning are exemplary and shaped by the school's distinctive character and its very strong ethos of respect. Pupils have an excellent understanding of living healthily and enjoy many sports. School council members take their responsibilities very seriously and consult widely on matters such as equipping the playground. Pupils serve their local community in a variety of ways, including through the choir singing to the elderly. There are outstanding links with other organisations and schools, including a school in Israel. Pupils leave the school confident well-rounded

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Grade: 2

individuals particularly well equipped for independent study. The leadership and management of the school are good. All leaders are involved in assessing its work and come to an accurate view of its strengths and those areas to develop. They devise effective strategic plans and measure the impact of the actions they take to bring about improvement. At present, subject leaders do not have enough time to develop their roles, in particular through sharing their expertise with colleagues in classrooms. The governing body is well-organised and a huge support to the school. Its new chair is moulding it into an effective and influential critical friend. In view of the rapid progress the school has made as it has grown in size, and in particular through its achievements this year in raising standards, it is well placed to continue to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards and achievement in writing by the end of Year 2 by applying the good strategies that have already been successful in Years 3 to 6. • Develop the role of subject leaders by providing more management time for them to have a greater influence on the quality of provision in classrooms.

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Grade: 2

Achievement is good and standards are above average. Children enter the Nursery with a wide range of abilities, but their skills are in line with those typically expected. They make good progress in the Foundation Stage because the work is planned well to interest and engage them, and adults develop their thinking skills effectively through skilful questioning. In Years 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Clore Tikva School, 19 °20 June 2007 1 and 2, pupils continue to make good progress in reading and mathematics. A focus on early calculation this year has given pupils confidence in building up their number skills. Progress has been slower in writing, with few pupils reaching the higher levels. This is being tackled by structuring tasks more carefully and giving pupils plenty of examples of good writing to inspire them. This approach has made a real difference to the quality of pupils' writing in Years 3 to

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Grade: 2

6, where it has been trialled this year. Pupils are set challenging targets, and almost all reach or exceed them. Standards are well above average in information and communication technology (ICT) because of the specialist teaching pupils receive and the many uses of ICT across the curriculum. Pupils with learning difficulties achieve well and there are no differences in the rate of progress of different groups of pupils.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. Pupils have an excellent understanding of their own culture, but also are very well informed about those of others. This is partly because they welcome visits from children from other schools. One pupil said, 'We make friends with children from all different cultures - we bond very well together.' Attendance is good because pupils want to come to school. They have a real hunger for learning and talk with great pride about their work. A pupil commented, 'The more you learn the more you want to learn.' Behaviour has improved considerably over the past two years because pupils understand and follow the school's behaviour plan. It is now outstanding. Pupils are courteous and considerate towards one another. They feel safe in school and will readily turn to an adult for help with any concerns. They support one another through being playground buddies, and

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Grade: 1

leading the worship in assembly. They raise large amounts of money for charity. Pupils control the budget for their Healthy Eating Party and also for the Year 6 Graduation Ceremony. Pupils develop a love of learning and are especially well prepared for moving to secondary school through special projects run by the school and other organisations.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. Lessons are well planned with tasks that are set to challenge pupils of differing abilities. This makes learning stimulating and fun. Teachers use a wide variety of different strategies to maintain momentum, often involving pupils actively. Year 6 pupils acted out 'snapshots' of characters from a story to highlight their key traits. The basic skills of literacy and numeracy are taught well, and pupils are encouraged to become independent in their learning, undertaking research and making good use of the school's many computers. Occasionally the expectations of the lesson are not made sufficiently clear so that the pace slows while instructions are repeated. Resources are generally used well to enhance learning, but sometimes opportunities are missed to move pupils' understanding forward through making the most of the activities. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities are taught well and

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Grade: 2

make good progress against their individual targets. They are supported well by an effective and dedicated team of teaching assistants. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Clore Tikva School, 19 °20 June 2007

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Grade: 1

The curriculum is outstanding. It is exceptionally well adapted to meet the needs of all pupils, and designed to be innovative and creative, integrating Jewish studies and Hebrew. The curriculum for ICT is a particular strength and is linked across different subjects highly effectively. Year 6 pupils were laying down a backing track for a radio jingle they were creating to inform younger children about the safe use of the Internet. This involved them in using mathematical skills, musical composition, sophisticated technology and their knowledge of health education. There is excellent enrichment of the curriculum, which contributes considerably to pupils' enjoyment of school and their outstanding personal development. Pupils participate in a wealth of clubs including Israeli dancing, chess, pen-pal club and orchestra. Many visitors inform and entertain them including musicians, artists and chefs. Pupils learn a good range of orchestral

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Grade: 1

instruments and the choir is exceptional in its rendition of traditional and more modern songs. Themed weeks such as Challenge Week give pupils innovative and exciting activities that especially appeal to those who are gifted in particular subjects.

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Grade: 1

The school provides pupils with outstanding care, guidance and support. A parent spoke for many when writing, 'All the staff have time to help every child achieve their best and nothing is too much for them.' Although it is now a large school, it retains its family atmosphere and caring ethos. All safeguarding requirements are met. There is excellent support for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities including very strong links with outside agencies. This enables them to progress well towards their individual targets. Meticulous records are kept of pupils' achievement and they are used effectively to identify any who are at risk of falling behind. Imaginative deployment of staff directs help towards those pupils who need it most. Pupils are guided very well academically, with motivational targets and marking that shows them how to improve. They are involved in evaluating their own learning and that of their

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Grade: 1

peers. They appreciate the interest staff show in them. One pupil said, 'They treat every single person as an individual and see their talents differently.'

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Grade: 2

The headteacher and deputy head have a passionate vision for the school that is shared by all staff. There is a strong commitment to raising standards and achievement with high expectations and a determination to make a difference. This is underpinned by effective procedures for the smooth-running of the school and good quality monitoring by the leadership team. The impact of this is seen in pupils' outstanding personal development and their excellent attitudes to learning. This in turn means they achieve well and standards are rising. It is a happy school where not only the pupils but the staff enjoy their work. An enthusiastic team of subject leaders support one another very well and are beginning to influence their areas of responsibility. However, they have too little time to share their expertise and visit classrooms, and this reduces the pace of change. Parents wholeheartedly support the school. One said, 'My child has not

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Grade: 2

only progressed well but he has gained in confidence and independence too.' Parents views are sought and valued through regular surgeries and representatives attached to each class. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Clore Tikva School, 19 °20 June 2007 The school is using the facilities of the secondary schools more for sport as a result parents' suggestions. The governors perform their duties well. They are formulating an action plan for their own improvement following an audit of their skills and some self-evaluation. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Clore Tikva School, 19 °20 June 2007 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Clore Tikva School, 19 °20 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 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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Clore Tikva School, 19 °20 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: Clore Tikva School, 19 °20 June 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

27 June 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of Clore Tikva School,Ilford,IG6 2JN We enjoyed visiting your school and thank you for making us so welcome. Your school is good and there are some outstanding things about it. Here are some of them. • You are really enthusiastic about learning and work hard in lessons. • You make good progress in your work and reach above average standards. • You are particularly skilled in information and communication technology. • You care for one another very well and your behaviour is exemplary. • The teaching is good and lessons are interesting. • There are excellent links between subjects to make them come alive. • You enjoy a wide range of clubs and visits and there is always something exciting going on. • Your choir sings beautifully. • The school looks after you really well and gives you helpful guidance. • The school is extremely well led by the headteacher and the deputy head.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

We are delighted that standards are rising in writing in Years 3 to 6 because of all the hard work that has gone on this year. Now we want to see them going up higher in Years 1 and 2 as well and we think some of the new ideas the older children tried out will also work for the younger ones. You have many very talented teachers and we would like them to have more time to get into each other's classes to see what is going on and to share their good ideas. I am sure they would like to hear from you about the kinds of things that help you to learn more quickly. Thank you once again for being so friendly to us on our all too short visit. We take away very happy memories of your school. Yours sincerely, Mr. N. ButtLead Inspector. 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Clore Tikva School, 19 °20 June 2007

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