Avonmore Primary School

Avonmore Primary School Inspection report

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100322 Unique Reference Number Hammersmith and Fulham Local Authority 307356 Inspection number 22–23 October 2008 Inspection dates Jo Curd Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The registered childcare, managed by the governing body, was inspected under section 49 of the Childcare Act 2006.

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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 (total) 34 Government funded early education provision for children aged 3 to the end of the EYFS 0 Childcare provision for children aged 0 to 3 years The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Stephen Bashorun Chair Mr Clive Hale Headteacher 29 November 2004 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Avonmore Road School address London W14 8SH 020 7603 9750 Telephone number 020 7603 4521 Fax number

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3–11 Age group 22–23 October 2008 Inspection dates 307356 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. 2 of 11 Inspection Report: Avonmore Primary School, 22–23 October 2008

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

A very broad mix of pupils attends this average sized primary school. The proportion eligible for free school meals is higher than the national average. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is much higher than in most schools as is the proportion who are at an early stage of learning to speak English. Several are from refugee or asylum-seeking families. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is broadly in line with the national average. Most of these have moderate learning difficulties or speech, language and communication difficulties. In the past five years three quarters of the staff have changed including the headteacher and deputy headteacher. Although the proportion of boys and girls varies considerably in different year groups these are equally balanced over the whole school. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) consists of a Nursery class and a Reception class.

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Description of the school

Currently, all children in the Nursery stay all day.

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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: Avonmore Primary School, 22–23 October 2008

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Grade: 2

All groups of pupils achieve well in this good school. Pupils and families are welcomed and valued in this supportive environment where community and social cohesion are extremely strong. Parents value the school and appreciate that 'it is a happy supportive school community'. Pupils' personal development and well-being are outstanding because all the staff give so much emphasis to developing pupils' confidence, self esteem and participation. Behaviour is impeccable and pupils are very eager to learn. The school's commitment to providing a wide range of physical activities and supporting encouraging balanced diets are first class and so pupils have an excellent awareness of how to develop healthy lifestyles. Pupils make an excellent contribution to the school and the wider community. Their excellent personal qualities and the good progress they make in developing their basic skills ensure they are extremely well prepared

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Grade: 2

for secondary school. Effective leadership and management have successfully led to improvement since the last inspection. The role and work of governors has improved greatly and is now good. Systems to ensure the health and safety of all pupils are in place, finances are managed strategically and governors support and challenge the school well. Improvements such as the renovation of accommodation, development of assessment procedures and appointment of new staff all contribute to pupils' effective learning and great enjoyment of school. Largely accurate self-evaluation and dedicated staff ensure that the school continues to develop. To help improve this the senior management team has been expanded recently to include two additional staff. Although they are new to leadership and management, they are assuming their roles enthusiastically and eagerly. However, monitoring and evaluation, of actions in the school,

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Grade: 2

such as teaching and learning, have not yet been sufficiently frequent or rigorous to move provision beyond good. Whilst annual monitoring has sustained good quality teaching and learning it has not been sufficiently rigorous to sharpen this further. However, the school's capacity for further improvement is good because of a successful track record, dedication of all the staff and an increasingly effective governing body. Pupils achieve well throughout the school because of the good teaching and an effective curriculum. From a below average starting point on entry pupils reach standards that are generally above the national average by the end of year 6. Their excellent behaviour and keenness to learn both help them make good progress. There are two factors limiting better progress. First, although good teaching ensures learning proceeds at a good pace, activities are not always exactly matched to pupils' individual learning needs. Consequently, they are not

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Grade: 2

always working to the limits of their capabilities. Secondly, academic guidance, whilst good, sometimes does not show pupils how they can improve learning further.

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Grade: 2

Although children start the Nursery with a wide range of knowledge skills and experience many have very limited English and skills are generally below those expected for this age. Due to warm relationships, good teaching and well- organised classrooms all the children make good progress in the Nursery and Reception classes and standards are broadly in line with expectations by the end of the EYFS. Children benefit from and enjoy a wide range of practical interesting activities across all areas of learning. They contribute particularly well to setting resources out 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Avonmore Primary School, 22–23 October 2008 and tidying away, showing responsibility, care and initiative. Children in the Nursery enjoy a good range of different activities outside even though some resources here are rather jaded. Opportunities for children in the Reception class to work and play outside are far more limited

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Grade: 2

because there is no direct access to the EYFS garden from their classroom. Children are safe, happy and well looked after. Effective leadership and management ensure that children in both classes achieve well in learning and personal development and that transition between the two is smooth.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Increase the frequency and rigour of monitoring and evaluation to ensure that actions effectively improve provision and raise achievement. ■ Sharpen teaching further by ensuring that work is always suitably challenging for all pupils and that they all know exactly how to improve their learning. ■ Improve the curriculum in the Foundation Stage by providing more opportunities for children in the Reception class to work and play outside.

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Grade: 2

Due to good teaching and a very strong emphasis on personal development and well-being, all groups of pupils make good progress. By the end of Year 2 standards are broadly in line with the national average. In 2008 standards in reading and writing were just above the national average and just below in mathematics. Pupils have excellent attitudes and are keen to do well. By the end of Year 6 standards are above the national average especially in reading and science. Although nearly all groups of pupils reach higher standards than their counterparts in most other schools boys, pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and those who have English as an additional language have performed particularly well over the past two years. Results of national tests at the end of Year 6 show all groups of pupils make good progress across the school because pupils start Year One with standards broadly in line with the national average.

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Grade: 2

The school's emphasis on personal development and English contribute well to this success. Improved assessment procedures, a high ratio of support staff, strong teamwork and effective intervention strategies ensure that all pupils achieve well and any temporary deceleration of a few pupils is quickly identified and addressed.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent. They excel in their understanding and appreciation of cultural diversity. For example, they have very carefully considered what it means to be British and show deep respect for diversity in the school, community and wider world. Pupils are extremely socially confident, interacting very positively with one another and with adults. Behaviour is excellent. They participate well in discussions and are very keen to learn. Despite concerted efforts to improve attendance, rates remain broadly in line with the national average. Pupils greatly enjoy their time at school. They have a very good understanding of how to stay safe. For example they confidently assess risks when cooking and easily identify potential causes of accidents and how to avoid them. They are strongly committed to healthy lifestyles through diet and exercise. Most lunchboxes reflect

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Grade: 1

this and pupils really enjoy the fruit available to them at break times. Pupils make a significant contribution to the school and wider community in many ways including helping to run the 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Avonmore Primary School, 22–23 October 2008 bilingual library, acting as a playground friend, initiating activities to raise money for charity, helping in the school office, nominating staff and peers for 'recognition' in assembly and offering their views for school renovation including refurbishing the toilets.

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Grade: 2

Effective teaching makes a major contribution to pupils' good progress. Teachers prepare lessons well and make good use of interactive whiteboards. Where activities are open-ended, pupils respond well and show very good levels of perseverance. Very good relationships and the sound knowledge teaching assistants have of pupils' strengths and areas where they need help enable them to support learning well. Pupils are inquisitive, think deeply about matters and communicate well about their learning. Many pupils, particularly in Years 3 to 6 are very confident to ask searching questions and probe further in a constructive way. However teaching does not always make the most of these good features and activities are occasionally too easy or difficult for some pupils, consequently slightly slowing potential achievement.

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Grade: 2

The school's particularly strong emphasis on English, especially reading and personal and social development contributes well to pupils' good achievement and excellent personal development. Teachers combine subjects well and provide opportunities for speaking, listening, reading and writing in most lessons. The curriculum is well enriched through excellent links with other groups and professionals such as artists, musicians, and specialist education activities at the Science Museum and Chelsea Football Club. As one parent said 'My daughter particularly likes the enrichment type activities such as fundraising for charities, mufty days and cultural days as part of her learning journey at the school.' Whilst these are especially good for older children, extra-curricula activities are more limited for younger ones. Resources are generally satisfactory, whilst they are good for some subjects such as information and communication technology,

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Grade: 2

for others, such as for music they are more limited.

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Grade: 2

Good day to day care and strong emphasis on welfare and safety successfully contribute to pupils' enjoyment and excellent personal development and well being. Pupils confidently know that staff in the school are caring and supportive. Most parents also recognise and appreciate this. As one said, 'The staff are always very helpful and always there when you need them.' Rigorous systems to safeguard pupils' health and safety, including risk assessments, are in place. Intervention strategies, such as reading recovery, and support for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are highly effective. Pupils who have English as an additional language are supported, welcomed and integrated well. Assessments have improved recently and are used well to track progress and effectively target additional support. Up to date marking successfully praises pupils work and encourages their efforts well. However it does not always

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Grade: 2

pinpoint what pupils need to do next or how to improve their work further. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Avonmore Primary School, 22–23 October 2008

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Grade: 2

Largely accurate self-evaluation has enabled leaders and managers to implement improvements since the last inspection. Improvements to accommodation indoors and out have reportedly made the school 'happier and brighter for pupils, parents and staff'. Teamwork is strong. The school's excellent partnerships with parents and other professionals contribute to a good curriculum, very strong social cohesion and pupils' outstanding personal development. New members of the recently reorganised and extended senior management team are successfully developing their confidence and roles. The school is aware that monitoring and evaluation of provision, such as the quality of the curriculum, teaching and learning, has not been sufficiently frequent or rigorous. Although they are now starting to involve the extended management team in this process their impact is yet to fully show. Despite not being at full complement

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Grade: 2

governors conduct their roles and responsibilities far more effectively than at the time of the last inspection. They support and challenge the school, holding it more fully to account, manage finances more strategically and act more effectively to ensure the health and safety of all. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Avonmore Primary School, 22–23 October 2008 .

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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: Avonmore Primary School, 22–23 October 2008

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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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needs of learners?

Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well being? 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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EYFS?

2 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 2 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 2 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 2 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

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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/or disabilities make progress

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Achievement and standards

1 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: Avonmore Primary School, 22–23 October 2008

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learners?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 3 The attendance of learners 1 The behaviour of learners 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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learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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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 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 1 How well does the school contribute to community cohesion? 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: Avonmore Primary School, 22–23 October 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

10 November 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Avonmore Primary School,London,W14 8SH Thank you for being so very helpful and friendly when the inspectors visited your school recently. We both greatly enjoyed seeing you work and play and eating lunch with you. All the things you told us about Avonmore really helped us with our work. We were very impressed with how very polite you all were and with the questions you asked us about our work and ourselves. We agree with you that Avonmore is a good school. We can see that you make good progress in your learning especially in reading and science. This is because the teaching is good and you are learning lots of interesting things. We were pleased to see how many different people help you if you are finding things difficult. We think that the way you behave and act towards each other is excellent. We were delighted to see how much you all contribute to the school and the

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

wider world and think that you are all extremely well prepared for later life and learning. There are just three things which we have asked school leaders and managers to do to make the school even better. These are:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ to look at all that the school does more often and more thoroughly so that they can make things even better ■ to make sure that activities are always suitable for you all and that you all know how you can improve your learning further ■ to provide more opportunities for children in the Reception class to work and play outside.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Perhaps you could help by continuing to work hard and telling your teachers when you find work really helpful to your learning. We wish you and your families all the very best for the future. Yours sincerely Jo Curd Lead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Avonmore Primary School, 22–23 October 2008

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