Roehampton Church Forest Primary School

Roehampton CofE Primary School Inspection report

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101038 Unique Reference Number Wandsworth Local Authority 307571 Inspection number 18 °19 June 2008 Inspection dates Norma Ball 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 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 233 School The governing body Appropriate authority Rev J McKinney Chair Mr R Woodfin Headteacher 8 November 2004 Date of previous school inspection 245 Roehampton Lane School address London SW15 4AA 020 8788 8650 Telephone number 020 8785 4636 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 18 °19 June 2008 Inspection dates 307571 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This average sized primary school is located in an ethnically and socially diverse area of south-west London. Some pupils come from areas with high levels of deprivation and this is reflected by the higher than average number of pupils who are entitled to receive free school meals. Almost one third of pupils find learning difficult; this is much higher than average. These include pupils with behavioural, emotional and social needs, speech, language and communication and specific learning needs. The number of pupils who have a statement of special educational needs is average. The proportion of pupils who come from minority ethnic backgrounds is extremely high as is the proportion of pupils who require support in learning to speak English. A total of 25 languages are spoken. The most common are Urdu, French, and Arabic. A significant number of pupils join or leave the school at different times. The school

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Description of the school

holds Investors in People, Eco School and School Achievement awards.

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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: Roehampton CofE Primary School, 18 °19 June 2008

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Grade: 2

Roehampton is a good school and pupils achieve well. Most parents are pleased with the school and one said, 'The school has provided my children with a happy and confident way of looking at life.' Pupils are taught and supported well and make good progress in their time at the school. A significant number of pupils enter school with little or no English skills. Accurate and speedy assessment of the needs of these pupils and those who have learning difficulties or disabilities enables them to make good progress because they receive well targeted support. From a low starting point when they join the school most pupils reach satisfactory standards by the end of Year 6. The good progress that pupils make and the confidence they gain in school prepares them well for the next stage of their education. Good relationships are a feature of the school. Pupils behave well, show respect for the behaviour code they have helped develop and show real enjoyment in learning. The pupils' good personal

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Grade: 2

development is enhanced by the clear perception they have that the rights they enjoy as learners also carry important responsibilities. They carry out a range of duties, such as acting as school councillors, with pride and dignity. Staff work very hard to improve levels of attendance. However, attendance is below average mostly because a few families take extended holidays abroad to visit their relatives each year. Pupils do receive help to catch up with missed work when they return but important school time is missed. Pupils have a good knowledge of how to stay safe and keep healthy and the school provides a high level of care for all pupils. A few parents did not feel that the school took sufficient account of pupils' views. However, inspection evidence found that pupils are consulted through a range of surveys of their views and ideas and many initiatives are developed through the school council.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum meets pupils' needs and interests well. Lessons are lively and often extended through visits or by linking other subjects of the curriculum to give lessons a broader perspective. Teachers are gaining confidence in using assessment data to plan more interesting, well-paced lessons. However, the setting of suitably challenging work to help raise the standards, especially for pupils who find learning easy, is not consistent, and progress slows. The leadership and management of the school are good. The headteacher's highly motivated leadership has encouraged a culture of improvement, which has united staff. Areas of underachievement have been accurately identified. There is good evidence that the initiatives to bring about improvement are having a positive impact on the progress made by pupils. Areas for improvement identified at the time of the last inspection have been addressed successfully,

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Grade: 2

with the exception of punctuality. A minority of pupils arrive late and miss the start of their first lesson. Governors are knowledgeable about the school and provide good support and challenge in equal measure. The governing body has only one sub-committee with restricted membership that does not include any parent governors. Consequently, too few governors have sufficient opportunity to participate in discussions and planning at an early stage. The school provides good value for money and has a good capacity to improve further.

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Grade: 1

Children typically enter Nursery with skills and abilities lower than those expected for their age, especially in writing, linking sounds to letters and calculating. All children make good 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Roehampton CofE Primary School, 18 °19 June 2008 progress and by the time they enter Year 1 most have reached the expected levels for their age. Leadership and management in the Foundation Stage are outstanding and staff work as a close team providing a high level of care for all children. Each child is valued, their needs are identified carefully and their development is closely monitored to ensure they make the best progress they can. Children play happily together and are successfully encouraged to be independent so they grow in confidence. Very clear planning results in an excellent range of high quality learning experiences both inside and outside of the classroom to promote a good

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Grade: 1

range of skills. Strong links are built with parents so they are kept fully involved in their child's development. Transition to Year 1 is sensitively managed.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Raise standards by consistently providing greater challenge for all pupils, especially higher attainers, through work that is well matched to their ability. ■ Improve attendance and punctuality.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure that there is a wider representation of governors, including parent governors, in the committee work of the governing body.

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Grade: 2

All groups of pupils achieve well in their time in the school. Standards have fluctuated in recent years but at the end of Year 6 remain in line with the national picture, except in science where results were just below average in 2007. The school has focused carefully on developing pupils' investigative skills in science and early signs are that progress is improving. Pupils' progress is good because it is carefully monitored to identify any underachievement. A flexible range of well-planned support is used to effectively support these pupils. Pupils receive good support at whatever stage they join the school so they settle quickly and make good progress.

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Grade: 2

Pupils enjoy school and show real interest in their work. They show good consideration and respect for others. They demonstrate maturity and a sense of duty in the responsibilities they undertake, because they feel that what they do is important for their school. Pupils make a good contribution to the community. Despite school actions a few families continue to arrive late. This is distressing for the pupil and causes disturbance in the class when lessons have started. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good and they show respect for the many cultures within their school. Pupils value the caring Christian ethos of their school and show concern for others through their enthusiastic fund raising activities.

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Grade: 2

Lessons are well planned and taken at a lively pace so pupils work with enthusiasm. One pupil said, 'When we learn we can also have fun'. Speaking and listening skills are well developed and pupils join in discussions confidently. The purpose of lessons is invariably explained to the class and teachers are gaining confidence in developing links between subjects to make work more interesting. For example, in a Year 3 science lesson pupils' learning about day light and 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Roehampton CofE Primary School, 18 °19 June 2008 the rotation of the earth was linked with mathematics, when data was explored for the hours of daylight in different seasons. The progress that pupils make is assessed with increasing care. However, assessment information is not used consistently enough to structure work for pupils of different ability. Learning support assistants work in close partnership with teachers, ensuring

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Grade: 2

pupils who find learning difficult and those with English as an additional language are well supported.

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Grade: 2

The school plans the curriculum carefully. Good progress has been made since the last inspection in improving the creative and physical curriculum. Visiting teachers extend music and games provision, and pupils' views were canvassed to help plan a wide range of after school sports clubs. A significant number of pupils attend clubs and dance and athletics are popular choices for girls. Displays of lively artwork exploring different techniques show pupils' enthusiasm for this creative subject. With improved information and communication technology (ICT) resources in the ICT suite and classrooms, all pupils have regular access to develop their skills. However, the use of ICT by pupils in lessons to help extend their learning is variable between classes. An extensive range of extra curricular activities and visits together with contributions from visitors to the school enrich the curriculum and bring learning alive for pupils.

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Grade: 2

Staff know pupils well and show a strong commitment to their care. Strong pastoral care ensures that pupils are settled and ready to work. Induction arrangements for pupils, at whatever stage they join the school, and when they move to secondary school are sensitively organised. Procedures for safeguarding pupils and ensuring their health and safety are well managed. The school works effectively with a range of agencies to ensure expert help is available for any pupil who needs it. Good systems exist for tracking pupils' progress and all pupils now have learning targets in English and mathematics. These are valued by pupils because they guide them to make better progress. Pupils' work is marked regularly. However, the school marking policy is not followed consistently and marking does not always identify clearly what pupils can do to improve their work, so they can improve at a faster rate.

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Grade: 2

The school has moved forward well under the strong leadership of the headteacher. In a strong partnership with the assistant heads, the headteacher sets a clear direction for the school with a determined focus on improvement. Careful evaluation of both provision and standards has led to the identification of clear and appropriate developmental priorities. For example, after monitoring and evaluation by the school, initiatives to improve the attainment of girls in English and mathematics in Years 3 to 6 have been introduced. Early signs are that this action by management is proving successful. The school improvement plan is a valuable working document and is based on through consultation with all staff and school users. The plan sequences the development of areas identified for improvement efficiently. Middle manages are developing their leadership roles rapidly and gaining in confidence in monitoring and promoting

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Grade: 2

improvement in their subject areas. The school works extremely well in partnership with outside 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Roehampton CofE Primary School, 18 °19 June 2008 agencies to promote the learners' achievement and well-being. Governors are very supportive, know the school well and manage school finances efficiently. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Roehampton CofE Primary School, 18 °19 June 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: Roehampton CofE Primary School, 18 °19 June 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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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the 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? 1 The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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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 extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 How well learners enjoy their education 3 The attendance of learners 2 The behaviour of learners 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: Roehampton CofE Primary School, 18 °19 June 2008

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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 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: Roehampton CofE Primary School, 18 °19 June 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

01 July 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Roehampton CofE Primary School,London,SW15 4AA You may remember that two inspectors visited your school recently. Thank you for giving us such a warm welcome. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with you. You and your parents told us that your school is good and we agree with you. We identified many good things about your school such as the way adults look after you and the way you are taught. Your teachers keep a good check on your progress, make lessons interesting and help you to enjoy your learning. The good curriculum is made more interesting because subjects are linked and you have many chances to go on visits and learn outside the classroom. Your school is also well led and managed. We were impressed with how well you behave and develop as young people. We know that you and your teachers have worked together to create a behaviour code that you feel is important

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

and helps to create such a happy feeling in the school. We saw that you like to help your school and some of you enjoy taking responsibilities like being a school councillor. You know how to stay safe and healthy and enjoy taking lots of exercise. We also think that your headteacher leads your school extremely well. There are some things that we think could make your school even better:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ we have asked your teachers to make sure that the work they give you is not too easy and not too difficult so that you continue to make good progress ■ some of you do not always manage to come to school on time in the morning and some pupils do not come to school as often as they should so they miss valuable learning time; we have asked the school to work as closely as they can with your families to improve both arrival times and regular attendance ■ we have asked the governors of your school to improve the way they share out their responsibilities so that they all take a full part in planning how your school moves forward. Thank you for welcoming us to your school and being so friendly. We send you our best wishes for the future. Yours sincerely, Dr Norma Ball Lead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Roehampton CofE Primary School, 18 °19 June 2008

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