Kingsbury Green Primary School

Kingsbury Green Primary School Inspection report

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101503 Unique Reference Number Brent Local Authority 307713 Inspection number 26 °27 June 2008 Inspection dates John Horwood 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 589 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs J Inyama Chair Mrs J Dolan Headteacher 8 September 2003 Date of previous school inspection Old Kenton Lane School address Kingsbury London NW9 9ND 020 8204 6423 Telephone number 020 8905 0258 Fax number

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3-11 Age group 26 °27 June 2008 Inspection dates 307713 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

This is a larger than average size primary school. Most pupils come from minority ethnic groups, the largest groups being of Indian, African and Caribbean heritage. The proportions of pupils with English as an additional language is much higher than the national average. A high proportion of these pupils are at the early stages of speaking English. A much higher than usual proportion of pupils is entitled to free school meals and the number who join and/or leave the school other than at the normal times is very high. A few pupils come from refugee or asylum seeker families and there are very few looked after children at the present time. The number of pupils who have special educational needs is similar to other schools. The school is part of a Primary Strategy Learning Network based on physical activity and a healthy lifestyle and has been awarded the Active Mark for physical education. The school has a Hearing Impaired Unit

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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: Kingsbury Green Primary School, 26 °27 June 2008

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Grade: 3

The school is providing a satisfactory education for its pupils. It has been through a very difficult period, during which the school expanded rapidly and there were many changes in the leadership team, the teaching staff and the governing body. The headteacher and the chair of governors have worked hard to establish effective teams which are now beginning to show their impact through improved progress in the classrooms. Improved teaching has helped to tackle previous areas of inadequate progress. As a result, from their well below average starting points, pupils' achievement is now satisfactory. Although pupils' progress is accelerating, there has been insufficient time for the improvements to raise standards, which remain well below average. Standards in English are exceptionally low because of weaknesses in writing skills which, last year, resulted in very few pupils attaining the higher levels, and this was also the case in reading

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Grade: 3

in Key Stage 1. The support for pupils who find learning difficult, and those who are at the early stage of speaking English, is good and enables them to make similar progress. Pupils with disabilities, including those supported in the Hearing Impaired Unit, also make similar progress. The support for the gifted and talented pupils is less well developed but they, too, make satisfactory progress. Teaching and learning are satisfactory and improving due, largely, to a programme of monitoring of lessons, focussing on eliminating unsatisfactory areas of teaching. There is still more work to do, however, to improve teachers' planning, particularly for more able pupils, and to ensure that teachers give clear guidance to pupils when they mark their work. Good relationships exist in the classroom and the pupils' positive attitudes and good behaviour ensure all can make progress. The curriculum meets requirements and has some good aspects to promote pupils'

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Grade: 3

personal development and to support those with disabilities and language limitations. It is insufficiently developed to help the higher ability pupils. Pastoral care is good. Academic support and guidance are satisfactory, although the work is not always well matched to pupils' abilities and there is insufficient challenge and advice to help them achieve higher standards. Pupils are polite, friendly, courteous and well behaved. One parent commented, 'Since the arrival of the new headteacher behaviour has improved and there is hardly any fighting'. They enjoy coming to school where they feel safe. Although a few parents expressed some concerns about bullying, pupils confirmed that bullying is dealt with effectively when it is reported to teachers. Pupils know about healthy eating and they enjoy joining in sporting activities. They make good contributions to both the school and the wider community. Although their basic

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Grade: 3

skills are underdeveloped, their personal development is good and their satisfactory academic progress means they are appropriately prepared to achieve economic success. Attendance is satisfactory. Levels of attendance are below the national average but the school has very good procedures to promote improvement. Leadership and management are satisfactory with recent changes and new appointments beginning to show their impact. The headteacher has been in post for five terms and has successfully focussed on creating a good learning environment and building a team of teachers able to raise standards in the school. This is recognised by some parents, one of whom noted, '...under the new management the school is improving and their standard level is going up'. The improvements in teaching and in the progress made by pupils demonstrate that the school has a satisfactory capacity to improve. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Kingsbury Green Primary School, 26 °27 June 2008

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Grade: 3

The school provides a safe and secure environment and gives children a satisfactory start to their education. A large number of children start school with very little knowledge of the English language. Children make satisfactory progress in the Foundation stage. Although many of their skills are still well below the levels expected at the end of Reception, they have made better progress in personal, social and emotional, creative and physical development. The management of the Foundation Stage is improving. The new co-ordinator has put in place several strategies which are beginning to make a positive impact on the provision. A new assessment system enables children's progress to be tracked, although this is not yet done with sufficient frequency. Resources are satisfactory and the outdoor provision is used appropriately to provide children with the opportunity for free play and to develop independent skills.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Raise standards throughout the school especially in English.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve teachers' planning and marking.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure assessment data is consistently used within the classroom so that work matches the needs of more able pupils and enables them to reach challenging targets. 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

Pupils leave Year 2 and year 6 with well below average standards, having made satisfactory progress. Standards in English are exceptionally low as a result of weaknesses in both reading and writing at Key Stage 1 and in writing at Key Stage 2. Standards in the school have been falling for several years. A key factor to this is the high number of pupils who leave and join the school at times other than normal. Most of these extra pupils joined with weaker language skills and lower standards than those already in the year group. A significant movement of pupils in and out of Year 2 also had a detrimental impact on standards. Intervention strategies ensure all learners make the same progress over time. The more able pupils do not make the extra progress that they are capable of because work is not always sufficiently challenging for them. The support for those who need additional help, including those with limited knowledge

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Grade: 3

of the English language and those with physical disabilities, ensures they often make good progress in lessons and all make satisfactory progress over time.

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Grade: 2

The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good and this results in a harmonious atmosphere. Relationships are good and contribute to the good learning environment in the school. A strong focus on improving behaviour has resulted in good behaviour. There are still isolated incidents of bullying in the school which are generally well dealt with. In all the lessons seen behaviour was good with pupils having good attitudes to learning. Pupils enjoy coming to school and confidently respond to teachers' questioning in lessons. They talk with enthusiasm about their sporting activities. Although they enjoy school, attendance figures are below the 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Kingsbury Green Primary School, 26 °27 June 2008 national average. The systems in place to improve attendance are recognised locally as an example of good practice. Pupils make a good contribution to the running of the school through

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Grade: 2

the school council and there are opportunities for responsibilities in lessons and at break times. Their personal qualities prepare them well for later life, but the overall preparation is only satisfactory because their skills in literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology are underdeveloped.

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Grade: 3

Teaching is satisfactory with an increasing amount of good teaching ensuring pupils make at least satisfactory progress. Teaching is better in some of the upper classes where better use is made of assessment data to give pupils work that matches their needs. Teachers have good relationships with pupils and generally manage them well. In the better lessons, teachers engage pupils well in their learning and use good questioning to assess pupils' progress. As a result, pupils respond very positively, build on prior learning and make good progress. However, the more able pupils are not consistently challenged. Marking of pupils' work does not always give clear enough guidance on how to improve. The assessment and tracking system is at an early stage of implementation. It is not consistently used to inform planning and has not had an impact on standards yet.

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Grade: 3

Overall, the satisfactory curriculum matches the needs and interests of pupils. It is reasonably broad and balanced, with sufficient emphasis on the foundation subjects, and it meets statutory requirements. However, it does not effectively serve the needs of more able pupils. A more creative curriculum is developing, mainly involving music and art. Pupils are encouraged to be healthy, and the curriculum makes a good contribution to pupils' personal development. Appropriate time is given to the development of literacy and numeracy skills, and provision for information and communication technology is improving. A range of enrichment activities supports the curriculum. There are several out of school clubs, open to all pupils, and participation rates are reasonable.

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Grade: 3

Pastoral care in the school is good. Health and safety procedures, including risk assessments are thorough. Pupils are confident to approach adults in school if they have any problems or concerns. Arrangements for child protection are good and the school works well with other agencies to support vulnerable pupils. The inclusion of all pupils and equality of opportunity are central to the school's vision and safeguarding procedures are robust. Pupils from the Hearing Impaired Unit are well supported and integrated into lessons as appropriate; pupils in wheelchairs are well looked after and included in all activities where possible. The many pupils who join the school during the year are helped to settle in quickly. Systems for supporting pupils with special educational needs and pupils with English as an additional language are good. Systems for tracking pupils' progress have improved and are satisfactory, but have yet

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Grade: 3

to impact on raising standards. Good procedures to reduce the high level of absence are working. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Kingsbury Green Primary School, 26 °27 June 2008 Behaviour has also improved and pre-exclusion funding has been used effectively to reduce the number of exclusions. There are sound partnerships with secondary schools to ensure smooth transition of pupils.

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Grade: 3

The headteacher has managed the school well since her appointment in January 2007. She faced many problems in both staffing and leadership when she arrived, compounded by a large budget deficit and poor behaviour of pupils. Working with a very able and determined chair of governors all these issues have now been dealt with. The senior team has a sound understanding of the school's strengths and weaknesses but monitoring and evaluation of provision are not yet sufficiently systematic or rigorous. They have been successful in promoting good behaviour and improving teaching to ensure pupils make satisfactory progress. Because assessment systems are not yet used consistently, sufficiently challenging targets are not always set and standards are not rising quickly enough. Most curriculum leaders are recent appointments and they are still developing their skills in the effective use of data and evaluation of classroom

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Grade: 3

practice. Governors discharge their responsibilities satisfactorily - they are supportive and rapidly improving under strong leadership. Good financial management systems are now in place, staff and resources are deployed effectively and the school provides satisfactory value for money. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Kingsbury Green Primary School, 26 °27 June 2008 .

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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: Kingsbury Green Primary School, 26 °27 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? 3 The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage 3 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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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 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?

3 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: Kingsbury Green Primary School, 26 °27 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 4 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 3 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: Kingsbury Green Primary School, 26 °27 June 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

07 July 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Kingsbury Green Primary School,London,NW9 9ND Thank you for making us so welcome at your school. We enjoyed being at your school, meeting with you and your teachers as well as talking to you during the day. Yours is a satisfactory school that is improving. You and the school have many strengths including:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ the headteacher has managed the school well through difficult circumstances

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ the leadership team and the governors are hard working and are determined to make the school even better ■ behaviour in the school is good and pupils and adults all have good relationships with each other ■ teaching is improving which helps you to learn more

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ you understand the importance of healthy lifestyles and how to stay safe

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ you enjoy the sporting activities provided

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ you are proud of your school and enjoy your learning.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

In order to help the school improve and become even better, we have asked the school to:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ help you reach higher standards in your work especially in English

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ help teachers produce even better lessons by improving planning and marking

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ make sure that they know how well you are doing and set you work that is sufficiently challenging for each one of you so that you can achieve more. We wish each one of you every success and happiness in your future education. Yours sincerely John Horwood Lead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Kingsbury Green Primary School, 26 °27 June 2008

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