Eglinton Primary School

Eglinton Primary School Inspection report

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132827 Unique Reference Number Greenwich Local Authority 294037 Inspection number 18 °19 July 2007 Inspection dates Glynis Bradley-Peat 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 489 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Christine Smith Chair Ms Margaret Carney Headteacher 13 January 2003 Date of previous school inspection Paget Rise School address London SE18 3PY

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020 8854 6917 Telephone number 020 8855 1999 Fax number

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3-11 Age group 18 °19 July 2007 Inspection dates 294037 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

The school is larger than average and serves an area of high deprivation. Almost two thirds of pupils come from a variety of ethnic minority backgrounds. Forty-one per cent of pupils have English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is much higher than usually found. The proportion of pupils identified with learning difficulties is well above average and is steadily increasing, but the percentage with a statement of educational need is about average. The proportion of pupils joining or leaving the school at other than the usual times is also much higher than average. The school has achieved the 'Healthy Schools Award'.

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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: Eglinton Primary School, 18 °19 July 2007

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Grade: 3

One parent wrote, 'Eglinton School has changed for the better...' Inspection evidence agrees. This rapidly improving school currently provides a satisfactory standard of education and has some good features. When they first start school, children have poor skills and some are at an early stage of learning English. Because of the cracking start children now receive in the Foundation Stage they make excellent gains in their learning. Excellent provision and superb leadership over the last eighteen months has led to this being a real area of strength in the school where improvement has been striking and rapid. The 'settling in procedures' developed by the leadership are exemplary which means that children begin to make progress immediately. Teachers use assessment information innovatively and very effectively to plan for children of different abilities. A very good balance of teacher-led and children's chosen activities provide

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Grade: 3

valuable opportunities to develop independent learning skills. National test results for pupils in Year 6 have been significantly below average in recent years. However, despite the high numbers of pupils joining and leaving the school at other than the usual times, standards are beginning to rise. This is because the school recognised that weak teaching was leading to some pupils underachieving and robust steps have been taken to deal with this. As a result, provisional results for 2007, although still below average, show further improvements in both Years 2 and 6. Although standards are below average, given the starting points of these pupils, this represents satisfactory achievement. The pupils make satisfactory progress, particularly those who remain in Eglinton for the whole of their primary education. Although results are improving, the school realises that standards are not yet high enough and

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Grade: 3

need to be raised further in English, mathematics and science. The system for keeping track of the progress pupils make is systematic and rigorous. It has been used well to highlight areas of underachievement and to put appropriate support in place. Overall, teaching is satisfactory and improving. Pupils are enthused and encouraged by their teachers who are committed to their success. However, the highly effective approaches used in some classrooms are not evident in others. At present there is still too little good teaching to compensate for previous underachievement and sufficiently challenge higher attaining pupils. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities make satisfactory progress because of the comprehensive and effective links the school has with agencies outside the school. Pupils' individual education plans are thorough and reviewed regularly with parents in order to make sure that pupils make

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Grade: 3

as much progress as possible. The school places a high priority on the personal development of its pupils. They are very well cared for and, as a result, are polite and generally behave well. Pupils enjoy school and say that their lessons 'are fun and help us to learn.' They contribute well to school life through the school council, who have championed the introduction of more healthy food at the very popular 'tuck shop'. The curriculum is enriched both inside and outside the classroom and visits and visitors enhance learning well. Leadership and management are satisfactory overall. With the highly effective support of the local authority and the incisive leadership of the headteacher standards have begun to rise and this has been particularly evident in the Foundation Stage. Senior leaders have been frank and honest in their self-evaluation and know what they need to do to improve achievement. Monitoring of the quality of teaching is robust and has resulted in a great reduction in the

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Grade: 3

amount of inadequate teaching. Governors are skilled and successfully hold the school to account. This is because they are fully involved in the school's self evaluation process and have 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Eglinton Primary School, 18 °19 July 2007 worked alongside the headteacher to bring about improvement in difficult circumstances. In light of this there is good capacity to improve further. However, the work of subject and phase leaders is not yet fully impacting on standards because they do not play a full part in monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of their own areas.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve the quality of teaching so that it is consistently good enabling standards to rise in English, mathematics and science ■ Increase the challenge for more able pupils

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Develop the leadership role of subject and phase leaders so that their work focuses clearly on raising standards A small proportion of the 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 enter the Nursery with standards that are exceptionally low in all areas of learning. Up until 2006, very few of these children reached the early learning goals. However, because of the dynamic leadership of the assistant headteacher with responsibility for the Foundation Stage, and consistently good teaching, children are now leaving Reception with expected levels for their age. This represents excellent progress. One parent wrote, 'My daughter has fun every day and myself and my husband are amazed by how much she has learnt over the year.' The school's performance in the national tests at the end of Year 2 has been low in recent years. However, there has been a significant improvement in reading, writing and mathematics since 2005, particularly in writing. This is the result of the school's focus on improving writing skills. By the end of Year 6, standards are currently below average in English, mathematics and science.

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Grade: 3

Given the starting points of these pupils, this represents satisfactory achievement. The school identified that weak teaching was leading to pupils' underachievement but has tackled this robustly. As a result, the school's national test results have improved significantly. The school continues with its unremitting drive for improvement because it realises that this is not yet good enough, and too few pupils in Year 2 and Year 6 achieve the higher levels. Value added measures show that pupils make satisfactory progress through Years 1 to 6 overall, but progress in science is not as good as in English and mathematics. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities and those for whom English is an additional language achieve well and make satisfactory progress in their basic skills.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development and well-being are good. Pupils enjoy school and they remarked, 'School helps us to learn and meet friends. We learn about the religions and nationalities of our friends.' Relationships between adults and pupils are good and pupils know that they can talk to them if they have any personal concerns. Pupils feel safe because they know that staff are there to support them. Behaviour in classrooms and at break times is good. However, occasionally, a few pupils in some classes present challenging behaviour which interrupts lessons and hinders learning. Attendance remains below the national average despite the school's 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Eglinton Primary School, 18 °19 July 2007 valiant efforts. Some parents do not ensure that their children attend school regularly. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils are developing a strong commitment to

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Grade: 2

healthy lifestyles through the school's specific emphasis on healthy eating and sporting activities. Pupils' contribution to the school community is good. They take responsibility seriously and discharge their duties as councillors effectively. They take a lead in collecting funds for charities. Pupils' satisfactory skills in information and communication technology (ICT) and their abilities to work together amiably and constructively prepare them adequately for their future economic well-being.

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Grade: 3

Teaching practice has improved and inadequate teaching has almost been eradicated. The focus on making teaching more stimulating and interesting has been helped by teachers being trained well to use the new interactive whiteboards. Where teaching is good or better, the pace and challenge is high and pupils are encouraged to keep working and not give up when the going gets tough. Teachers plan a range of stimulating tasks which encourage pupils to be actively involved in lessons. The exemplary teaching observed in the Foundation Stage demonstrated high quality curriculum planning, assessment and tracking of progress. Where teaching is less effective, pupils' behaviour can become challenging because tasks set for them do not sufficiently meet their needs, particularly those of the higher attainers. In most classes, teaching assistants work closely with the teacher and support the learning well. However, in a minority

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Grade: 3

of classes they are too passive and their role is underdeveloped.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum in the main school is satisfactory but in the Foundation Stage it is outstanding. Here, it is planned thoroughly linking all the six areas of learning within a topic. Practical and hands on experiences make the curriculum exciting and enjoyable. Resources are used highly effectively to extend and enrich children's learning in both the indoor and outdoor areas. In the rest of the school, as part of its review of teaching methods there has been a curriculum appraisal that has led to the integration of literacy and numeracy into all lessons. This was an issue raised at the last inspection which is being tackled with some success and is beginning to impact upon standards achieved; but there is still more to be done. ICT is also being used more effectively to improve learning in most areas of the curriculum. The curriculum uses the local environment as a starting point and provides learning that is

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Grade: 3

based on the experience of all the pupils. This means that trips and visits can be planned, and visitors arranged, to bring learning alive and make it relevant to the needs of all the pupils. The curriculum is now more clearly focused on matching work to the needs of the pupils and what they already know, from year to year, but this is not always the case for the more able pupils.

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Grade: 2

The care, guidance and support offered by the school are good. The school has implemented highly effective systems for tracking individual pupils' progress throughout the school and is 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Eglinton Primary School, 18 °19 July 2007 now using the information to further improve standards. Pupils know their targets for improvement in English and mathematics. Pupils' personal development is a high priority for the school and staff respond to pupils' concerns promptly. A parent remarked, 'The understanding of different minorities is very impressive and my children are never discriminated in any shape or form'. The school makes very good use of outside agencies to support and guide pupils. Needs of pupils who have learning difficulties and disabilities are identified early and strategies to support their learning are effective. Pupils who are at the early stages of acquiring English are well supported. Risk assessment is rigorous and parents are confident

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Grade: 2

that their children are safe. Child protection procedures are firmly established and all staff have received training. Pupils are given a 'voice' in the school through the 'School Council' and this prepares pupils well for active citizenship.

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Grade: 3

The headteacher joined the school after the last inspection. In the meantime, it had suffered a serious decline in standards, behaviour and effectiveness, and had a large overspend. The quality of teaching was a major issue to be resolved. The headteacher has shown herself to be an outstanding planner and organiser who has re-structured and stabilised staffing. She has delegated appropriately to the now committed and highly efficient leadership team. Her vision for the school has ensured that all management and staff are working together to improve the quality of teaching and learning and pupils' achievement. This is now impacting on the standards achieved. The leadership and management of the Foundation Stage are outstanding. Subject and phase leaders are just beginning to take on the responsibilities of their areas and to understand what they need to do to raise standards and achievement. The governing body is both supportive and challenging to the school. It has been reshaped and

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Grade: 3

is working closely with the local authority to regularly plan and finance the school's continuing development. All new developments are strategically planned, have members of staff who are given responsibility for them to complete and are rigorously evaluated. Parents have noted the improvements that have been made and they are becoming more active partners with the school. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Eglinton Primary School, 18 °19 July 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: Eglinton Primary School, 18 °19 July 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 3 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

3 How well do learners achieve? 4 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 3 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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Eglinton Primary School, 18 °19 July 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: Eglinton Primary School, 18 °19 July 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

3 September 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of Eglinton Primary School,London,SE18 3PY We enjoyed our visit to your school and thank you for how friendly you were. We talked to lots of you and listened carefully to what you told us. We saw that you behave well in class and around the school and enjoy your lessons. You particularly like your interactive whiteboards. You told us about how you look after your school and how you helped improve the foods offered at the tuck shop. You enjoy going on trips and attending clubs after school. Your headteacher leads the school well. Along with her team of managers she aims to help all of you do the very best that you can. The youngest children in your school are really doing fantastically well because of brilliant teaching. The assistant headteacher in charge of this part of the school is doing a great job! Your teachers all work very hard and are trying to help you

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

do better. We think Eglinton Primary is a satisfactory school. This means it does some things well, but other things need to be better. We want the school to help you do even better work in English, mathematics and science. You can play your part in this by making sure that you always do your best and attend school all the time, whenever you can. We have asked the headteacher to make sure that your teachers always teach you well and that all of you are given work which makes you think hard. Finally, we have asked that those teachers who are in charge of subjects and year groups play a full part in making sure that you all achieve as well as you possibly can. We hope you continue to enjoy your time at Eglinton Primary. Kind Regards, Glynis Bradley-PeatLead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Eglinton Primary School, 18 °19 July 2007

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