Setting

Mr Ken Battye Headteacher Essendine Primary School Essendine Road London W9 2LR

p.1

on children and young people and their families

Thank you for your hospitality and co-operation, and that of your staff, during my visit on 22 January 2007 to look at the impact of extended services on children and young people and their families.

p.1

on children and young people and their families

The visit provided valuable information which will contribute to our national evaluation and reporting. Published reports are likely to list the names of the contributing institutions, but individual institutions will not be identified in the main text. All feedback letters will be published on the Ofsted website at the end of each half-term.

p.1

on children and young people and their families

The evidence used to inform the judgements made included: interviews with staff and pupils, scrutiny of relevant documentation and observation of activities.

p.1

on children and young people and their families

The overall effectiveness of the extended provision was judged to be good.

p.1

Achievement and standards

The school’s extended services have a satisfactory impact on achievement and standards overall.

p.1

Achievement and standards

 Standards are rising with Key Stage 2 showing signs of significant improvement in 2006. However, Key Stage 1 achievement remains stubbornly below average and has declined this year from the 2005 results. Parenting classes are one of the ways through which the school aims to raise standards. The breakfast club is designed to ensure that pupils can access regular booster classes to extend their mathematics learning and help them achieve higher standards. Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 08456 404045 F 020 7421 6855 www.ofsted.gov.uk  The pupils’ personal development is good. They are very well cared for, know how to keep themselves healthy and fit, and make a contribution to the local community and charities abroad. The extended school provision enables the school to include more pupils, particularly those most vulnerable, in better learning by supporting them through additional clubs and activities. This well thought out and

p.1

Achievement and standards

innovative provision has resulted in a better understanding by parents of the role they and the school has to play in preparing their children for the future. The school also ensures that pupils get to school on time and are ready to start learning at the beginning of the day.

p.2

Quality of provision

The quality of the extended services is good.

p.2

Quality of provision

 There are good links with the community through the pupils’ work with the elderly. The easier and more regular access to outside agencies and the school’s commitment to this multi-agency working centred on the child has had an impact on more vulnerable pupils being included in school activities.  Parents and their children are provided with additional experiences such as attending the opera which have been well received and provide evidence of a rich range of learning chances.  The extra activities provided are suitably matched to pupils’ needs. Parents and their children are provided with information about holiday activities in the local area although currently the school is not yet in a position to provide them.  The good analysis and monitoring of pupils’ achievements as they pass through the school enables the school to identify when pupils need more support. This use of data leads to more personalised learning

p.2

Quality of provision

and thereby improves teaching overall. This is leading to improved standards at Key Stage 2. However, there is no monitoring or evaluation of the impact of extended services on individual students’ progress.

p.2

Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the school’s extended services are good with some outstanding features.

p.2

Leadership and management

 Governors are proactive and involved. The role of the school’s ‘Learning Executive’ and the excellent way in which it has developed the extended services to enhance provision has improved teaching across the school.  Consultation with parents is very good and the school actively seeks ways to encourage parents to come into the school. For example, next term the school is planning to provide some mathematics support to parents so they can help their children with homework.  The headteacher has identified correct priorities for this school at this time and is rightly focused on improving existing provision as a basis for future developments. The capacity for continued improvement is good.

p.2

Inclusion

 The school is sensitive as it implements its charging policy to ensure that all the children and their parents can benefit from extended services and no one is disadvantaged.  Creative ways are developed to involve all pupils and their parents in developing services, for example through the extended school café and the forthcoming information market.

p.3

Areas for improvement, which we discussed, included:

 developing robust monitoring of extended services to evaluate their impact on pupils and their families  review the coverage of extended provision across the whole year, including school holidays.

p.3

Areas for improvement, which we discussed, included:

I hope these observations are useful as you continue to develop extended services in the school.

p.3

Areas for improvement, which we discussed, included:

As I explained in my previous letter, a copy of this letter will be sent to your local authority and will be published on Ofsted’s website. It will also be available to the team for your next institutional inspection.

p.3