Bruce Grove Primary School

Inspection Report Bruce Grove Primary School

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131731 Unique Reference Number Haringey Local Authority 293831 Inspection number 16 °17 November 2006 Inspection dates Sibani Raychaudhuri 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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Sperling Road School address Primary Type of school Tottenham Community School category London N17 6UH 3 °11 Age range of pupils 02088854200 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 02088855205 Fax number 460 Number on roll (school) Mr Stephen Brasher Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Ms Geraldine Waterman Headteacher 5 February 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 293831 16 °17 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

This larger than average primary school serves a very disadvantaged community. A very large majority of the pupils come from a wide range of minority ethnic backgrounds. Over two-thirds of pupils do not have English as their home language and many are at the early stages of learning English. The proportion of pupils identified with learning difficulties and disabilities is above the national average. The proportion of pupils joining or leaving the school at other than the usual times is also very high. About a third of the pupils are from refugee or asylum seeking families.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Bruce Grove Primary School, 16 °17 November 2006

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Grade: 2

The school rates itself as satisfactory. This is a modest assessment because Bruce Grove Primary is a good school. After a period of instability due to the changes of staffing and headteacher, it is now improving. Improved standards show that senior leaders have good capacity to bring about improvement. The staff ensure that pupils' progress is tracked tightly and challenging targets are set for them, so that the pupils work hard. Children start school with exceptionally low standards with poor language, social and mathematical skills. In spite of the good start in the Nursery and Reception classes their attainment remains well below average when they enter Year 1. They make good progress in Years 1 and 2. At the end of Year 2, standards are below average. Writing is the weakest aspect of pupils' work and the more able are not stretched sufficiently. Pupils do not have enough opportunities to write independently. The school's strong

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Grade: 2

focus on improving reading is paying off especially in Year 2 where pupils make rapid progress. Because pupils make good progress from Years 3 to 6, standards are close to the average in English and average in mathematics by the time they leave the school. Pupils achieve well because teaching is good with work carefully planned to meet their language and learning needs. Teachers have good relationships with pupils and motivate them well in lessons. Although teachers mark pupils' work regularly, they do not always tell them how to improve their work and consequently, many pupils have a limited understanding about how to make it better independently. Pupils are valued, and the very well-planned personal, social and health education helps them to get on well with each other and develop a sense of responsibility. They have a good awareness of right and wrong and older pupils look after younger pupils and conscientiously help to resolve arguments in the playgrounds. Pupils' behaviour

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Grade: 2

is good. The multi-faith religious education very effectively promotes pupils' respect for each other's views and beliefs. Pupils know well how to keep safe and healthy. They receive good care and guidance and support, enabling them to thrive in the school. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities make good progress because of effective support provided for them. Pupils' positive attitudes, good ability to work in teams and adequate basic skills prepare them well for future lives. Parents have a high level of confidence in the school and all it offers. They value the school overwhelmingly, commenting that, 'Bruce Grove Primary is a wonderful learning environment with a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. '

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards in writing in Year 2, particularly for more able pupils. • Improve teachers' marking so that pupils understand how they might improve their work. 2 Inspection Report: Bruce Grove Primary School, 16 °17 November 2006

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Grade: 2

Achievement is good. From a very low starting point, good teaching and a range of effective support enable pupils to learn well and they make good progress from Years 1 to 6. After a dip in 2005, the most recent results in the national tests, at the end of Year 6, have risen and standards are now broadly average. There has been an increase in the percentage of pupils attaining above average standards in national tests. The thorough tracking of pupils' progress and careful allocation of extra support enabled the school to exceed its challenging targets in both English and mathematics. Standards are below average at the end of Year 2. This is because the large majority of pupils with very limited English in Years 1 and 2 attain lower standards in national tests. The school identified that Somali and African-Caribbean pupils did not achieve as well as others in the past. They are now achieving well as the school is successfully working

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Grade: 2

with their parents to help their children in their learning. As pupils with English as an additional language move up the school, they achieve well because of the good support and opportunities for developing speaking and listening provided for them.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development and well-being, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, are good. Pupils enjoy coming to school and learning in lessons, referring to them as 'interesting.' They feel safe and take part in a range of activities to help them to be healthy. As the school is part of the Healthy School and Well Being project, the pupils develop a very healthy attitude to physical activities, eating fruit and drinking water. The school council is active and has a voice in the running of the school. Pupils make suggestions for improvement, for example, the school has given them more playground equipment at their request. They run coffee mornings to raise money for charity. Pupils work for the improvement of the wider school community through the school's involvement in the Environmental Recycling Project. Pupils are confident, friendly and courteous. Their behaviour is good. The school has

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Grade: 2

worked hard to improve attendance, particularly of younger pupils, which has recently improved to satisfactory. The school is aware that it needs to continue to work to maintain this improvement.

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Grade: 2

Overall, teaching and learning are good across the school because teachers know exactly what they want pupils to learn and have clear expectations of what they can achieve. They are enthusiastic and manage pupils' behaviour well and help them to 3 Inspection Report: Bruce Grove Primary School, 16 °17 November 2006 take learning seriously. Teachers are good at making lessons interesting. Teaching is often enlivened by the use of interactive whiteboards. In a science lesson, for example, the pupils' faces lit up when they watched a moving picture of how exercise speeded up the pulse rate. The large number of pupils with English as an additional language understood it well. Teachers and support staff work together well to ensure that all pupils play a full part in lessons and make good progress. They also give individual attention to pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities so that they make good

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Grade: 2

progress. In a few classes the pace is not quite as brisk because tasks are not interesting enough to motivate pupils to work at a good speed.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is relevant to the backgrounds of the pupils and helps them to achieve well and enjoy school. It provides a good range of opportunities that extends pupils' learning and contributes to their personal development. Good provision for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities and for whom English as an additional language, especially in speaking and listening and reading, supports their good progress. The school makes good use of local expertise to enrich musical, creative and sporting activities, which has a good impact on the pupils' enjoyment, self-esteem and acquisition of skills. In personal and social education, there is a consistent approach to teaching about issues such as improving behaviour. Pupils in all year groups work on the same topic, at the levels appropriate for their age, at the same time, so that they develop a shared understanding of it. This has helped to improve behaviour across

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Grade: 2

the school. The school makes effective links between subjects, especially in information and communication technology (ICT) and literacy. For example, Year 2 pupils used ICT to produce pictures and writing about the Great Fire of London, effectively linking their learning in history to art, English and ICT. The curriculum in the Foundation Stage is well organised with a good range of stimulating activities that engage children well and encourage them to participate in lessons.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good. The school provides pupils a safe and secure place, in an atmosphere of racial harmony. Child protection procedures are secure. Policies and procedures for pupils' health and safety are effective. The school keeps good records of the checks made on the background of the staff and other adults working in the school. The personal, social and health education programme pays good attention to development of safe and healthy living styles. Pupils' well-being is supported effectively through the specialist staff based at the school. The learning mentor works alongside parents to raise their awareness of the importance of attendance if their child is to do well. This has improved the attendance of the younger pupils to the levels of others. Pupils know their targets and are given good support to achieve them. Individual education plans are reviewed regularly but targets for

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Grade: 2

these pupils are at times are too general for measuring the success of the targets. 4 Inspection Report: Bruce Grove Primary School, 16 °17 November 2006

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The school is effectively led by a strong and determined headteacher whose clear vision has created unity and common purpose. Teamwork is a key strength. The headteacher has high expectations of staff and has been responsible for building an active and dedicated team, who are increasingly involved in the school's development. Realistic and regular evaluation of its work leads the school to identify areas for development. Support is placed where it is most needed to benefit pupils. A success has been the recognition of the need to improve reading and writing and subsequently the provision of extra help for pupils. Subject leaders play an active role in determining how well pupils learn. In ICT, the subject leader has increased teachers' confidence and developing a means of assessing how well pupils are doing. The performance of staff is accurately evaluated and action is taken to improve it

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Grade: 2

further. The work of teaching assistants is well planned and monitored, and as a result the support they give to pupils is good. This focus on individuals and their needs is a strength of the school. Staff have a clear picture of where the school's strengths lie and where they want to see improvements. Self-evaluation is used effectively to implement action and to assess its impact on the pupils' achievements. Governors are supportive and keen to hone their skills in order to help the school move forward. Careful allocation of funds has resulted in a rolling programme of improvements to the accommodation with positive effect on pupils' well being and enjoyment of school. 5 Inspection Report: Bruce Grove Primary School, 16 °17 November 2006 .

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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: Bruce Grove Primary School, 16 °17 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? 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? 3 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?

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: Bruce Grove Primary School, 16 °17 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: Bruce Grove Primary School, 16 °17 November 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for making us feel welcome when we visited the school recently. We enjoyed talking to you and listening to what you like about the school. You attend a good school that takes good care of you. You do well in school. You enjoy learning and behave well in classrooms and around the school. Teaching is good and you do interesting activities. The adults support you well so that you make good progress. There are many extra things for you to do, such as art clubs and sports clubs. You take responsibilities seriously and make sure that you have a say in the school. You have a good understanding of keeping healthy. The headteacher leads the school well. We have asked the teachers to make sure that pupils in Year 2 get more opportunities for writing so that they can improve their work. We have also asked the teachers always to tell you what to improve next when they mark your work. We wish you every success in school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Yours sincerely Sibani Raychaudhuri Lead inspector 9 Inspection Report: Bruce Grove Primary School, 16 °17 November 2006

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