Bounds Green Infant School

Bounds Green Infant School Inspection report

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102081 Unique Reference Number Haringey Local Authority 307897 Inspection number 12 °13 February 2008 Inspection dates Alison Storey HMI 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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Infant Type of school Community School category 3 °7 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 226 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Nick Samuels Chair Mr William Wawn Headteacher 13 October 2003 Date of previous school inspection Bounds Green Road School address London N11 2QG 020 8888 8824 Telephone number 020 8365 8365 Fax number

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3-7 Age group 12 °13 February 2008 Inspection dates 307897 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 one of Her Majesty's Inspectors and an Additional Inspector. Bounds Green Junior School was inspected at the same time as part of a co-ordinated inspection.

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Description of the school

Bounds Green Infant is an average sized school serving a culturally diverse community that includes some areas with high levels of social deprivation. The number on roll has fallen in recent years as part of a planned move from three to two-form entry. Most pupils come from minority ethnic groups; the main groups are Eastern European, Black Caribbean and Turkish. The majority speak English as an additional language; the most common are Albanian, Turkish and Somali. Ninety-four pupils are currently at an early stage of learning English. There are a significant number of children from refugee families. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or difficulties (LDD) is below the national average and there are less statemented pupils than found nationally. The school has been federated with Bounds Green Junior school since September 2006 with one governing body. A new headteacher has been responsible for both schools since January

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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: Bounds Green Infant School, 12 °13 February 2008

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Grade: 2

Bounds Green Infant school is a good school. As one parent rightly said, it 'keeps a real focus on individual children's needs - children leave this school confident and positive about living in a multi cultural world'. There is a strong focus on pupils' personal development and well-being. This starts in the Nursery where children are helped to settle and feel secure in school from an early age. The federated schools' vision of 'a community where everyone is valued' is clearly seen in practice. The school promotes ethnic and cultural diversity through many aspects of its work. As a result, pupils are confident and there is a harmonious atmosphere where children of many different backgrounds and cultures work and play well alongside each other. Pupils are encouraged to make a positive contribution to their school. For example, every pupil has recently planted a bulb in the school grounds and the federation is providing the opportunity for some of the

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Grade: 2

older pupils to have a greater say in the school through working with junior pupils on the school council. The curriculum is good. Special weeks, visits, visitors and links between different subjects are used to bring learning to life. For example, through a project with a local artist, pupils across the federation are working together on silk-screens with the theme 'how many become one'. Quite rightly, because pupils' skills are generally low on entry, there is a strong focus on developing the basic skills of reading, writing and mathematics. Together with good teaching this means pupils make better than expected rates of progress. Standards have improved since the last inspection and are now in line with those expected by the end of Year 2 in reading, writing and mathematics. Most pupils have the basic skills, knowledge and understanding they need for the next stage in their education. However, provision in information and communication

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Grade: 2

technology (ICT) has not been good enough, largely because of inadequate resources, and pupils' ICT skills when they move to the junior school have been below those expected for their age. Pupils are well cared for. Staff are aware of the needs of individuals, particularly those learning English as an additional language or those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. They work well together, and with other agencies, to provide the support which helps these pupils to make the same good progress as other pupils. They have a good picture of how well all pupils are doing and set targets for them; however they do not give them enough feedback about how well they are doing or, more importantly, what they have to do to improve. The school is in a time of significant change. Governors have played a key role in driving forward the federation. The new headteacher has a clear vision for the future of the two schools and

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Grade: 2

the planned children's centre, and is well regarded by everybody. He is supported by a good team of staff taking on key roles. Staff are very positive about the developments and the further opportunities they will bring for pupils and their families. There is good capacity for continuing improvement.

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Grade: 2

Children get off to a good start in the Nursery and Reception classes. They join the school with a range of skills and abilities that are generally below those expected for their age; their skills in communication, language and literacy are particularly low. Good induction arrangements 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Bounds Green Infant School, 12 °13 February 2008 and relationships with parents help children to settle quickly. The atmosphere is calm and purposeful and routines mean that children quickly become independent and develop good attitudes to learning. They are keen to take part in independent and adult-led activities and show good levels of concentration. The Foundation Stage team work well together. The quality of provision is good. Effective use is made of both the indoor and outdoor spaces and activities are well planned to meet children's needs. As a result, they make good progress. By the end of Reception they are reaching the

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Grade: 2

levels expected for their age in most areas of learning, although their skills in speaking, reading and writing are still lower than expected of five-year-olds.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Develop assessment practice so that pupils understand what they are doing well and how they can improve.

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Grade: 2

Pupils make good progress in relation to their starting points because the teaching is good and the school develops their positive attitudes to learning. National test results and assessments show that standards at the age of seven have steadily improved since the last inspection. By 2005, they were close to the national average. Although they declined in 2006, standards rose again in 2007 and currently most pupils reach the standards expected for their age in reading, writing, mathematics and science. Pupils learning English as an additional language and those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make the same good progress because of the good knowledge of their needs and the additional support they receive in class, in smaller groups or at lunchtime.

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Grade: 2

Pupils really like being at this school. Their behaviour is good; they enjoy their learning and work together well. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. They are developing a good awareness of other beliefs and cultures and learning to live alongside and take care of one another. They feel safe in school and know how to take care of themselves. Buddies from the junior school help to look after them on the playground. They are very aware of healthy eating and have opportunities to exercise in physical education lessons and at playtimes. There are some out of school sports activities, but these are currently limited to two clubs so not all pupils have the opportunity to take part. The school has successfully worked with parents to improve attendance since the last inspection and it is now satisfactory. However, punctuality is still not as good as it could be because some

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Grade: 2

parents bring their children to school late. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Bounds Green Infant School, 12 °13 February 2008

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Grade: 2

The good quality of teaching fosters pupils' positive attitudes to their learning and helps them to make good progress. In most lessons, teachers plan activities that engage and interest pupils, build on their previous learning and meet the different needs and abilities in the class. They give clear explanations and use questioning well to make sure that pupils understand. Staff know which groups of pupils are not doing as well as they should, and try other ways to meet their needs. For example, Foundation Stage staff have been involved in a project focusing on developing early reading and writing skills for all children and, in Year 2, workshops are run to improve the writing for those who are still developing as English speakers.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum successfully meets the needs of all pupils by focusing on the development of their basic skills. It is planned carefully to make learning interesting and meaningful. For example, learning in history about the Fire of London is linked with making models of houses in design and technology and writing newspaper reports in literacy. The curriculum plays an important role in developing pupils' understanding of living in a diverse world and fostering their cultural development; a recent focus on food around the world was followed up with a well-attended international supper evening where families brought in dishes from their own cultures. After school clubs are offered, although these are currently limited to sports. Until recently, provision in ICT has not been as good as it should be, largely because of insufficient computers. This has meant that standards in ICT have been below those expected

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Grade: 2

when pupils leave to go to the junior school. Action has been taken to improve this. Older pupils are using the facilities in the junior school, for example, but there is still much more to do to sustain these improvements.

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Grade: 3

The school's care for pupils is good. Partnerships with parents are positive. Close attention is paid to identifying the needs of individuals and putting in place the support that they need. Procedures for child protection and safeguarding the interests of pupils are in place. Guidance for pupils' academic progress is satisfactory. Systems are in place to track pupils' progress over time. Teachers know how well individual pupils are doing and set targets for them. Marking is regular and sometimes helps pupils to see how they can improve their work but this is not consistent. The recently introduced 'learning ladders' in the classrooms identify next steps in learning in literacy and numeracy, but have not been in place long enough for pupils to know where they are and what they need to do next. As a result, pupils are not clear what they are doing well and how they need to improve. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Bounds Green Infant School, 12 °13 February 2008

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The new headteacher has a thorough understanding of the strengths and areas for development in the federated schools and a very strong commitment to the best possible outcomes for all pupils. Change is well managed and consultation on the new vision for the schools has ensured a strong commitment to it from staff at all levels. The headteacher is well supported by the deputy headteacher who assumes much of the responsibility for the day to day running of the school. Staff are well deployed to bring about improvement. Most leaders have a good understanding of their role, are proactive in taking on board their responsibilities to pupils and staff, and are already bringing about significant improvements. This shows there is good capacity for further improvement. Governors fulfil their role well. They have been instrumental in driving forward the federation, have a clear picture of the strengths of the school and where improvement is needed, and

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Grade: 2

provide the support and challenge to bring it about. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Bounds Green Infant School, 12 °13 February 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: Bounds Green Infant School, 12 °13 February 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? 2 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?

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: Bounds Green Infant School, 12 °13 February 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: Bounds Green Infant School, 12 °13 February 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

29 February 2008 Dear Children Inspection of Bounds Green Infant School,London,N11 2QG Thank you all for being so friendly and helpful when we visited your school recently. A special thank you to the children in Year 2 who talked to one of the inspectors about their work and all the things they do at school. We know that you think you go to a good school and we agree with you. We think it gives you a really good start and helps you with your learning. We were very impressed by your behaviour and the way you work well together. Before we left, I talked to your headteacher about how the school could be even better. He agrees with the inspectors that there should be more opportunities for you all to learn to use computers. He also knows that the teachers need to help you understand how well you are doing with your learning and how you can get even better. It would be really helpful if you could all make sure you get to school on time every morning so that you don't miss any learning.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Best wishes Alison Storey Her Majesty's Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Bounds Green Infant School, 12 °13 February 2008

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