Pinner Park Primary School

Pinner Park First School Inspection report

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102207 Unique Reference Number Harrow Local Authority 307931 Inspection number 31 October 2007 Inspection date Jane Wotherspoon 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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First Type of school Community School category 3 °8 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 403 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mr David Lloyd Chair Miss Karen Disspain Headteacher 10 June 2002 Date of previous school inspection Melbourne Avenue School address Pinner HA5 5TL 020 8863 2191 Telephone number 020 8863 6391 Fax number

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3-8 Age group 31 October 2007 Inspection date 307931 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

This was a reduced tariff inspection that was carried out by one of Her Majesty's Inspectors. The inspector evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues: children's achievement, the use of performance data and tracking information, and the roles of achievement coordinators. Procedures for safeguarding children were checked. Evidence was gathered from observing parts of lessons, looking at children's assessment information, discussions with staff, governors and children, and parents' questionnaires. Other aspects of the school's work were not investigated in detail, but the inspector found no evidence to suggest that the schools' own assessments, as given in its self-evaluation were not justified, and these have been included where appropriate in this report.

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Description of the school

The school is larger than average. It serves an area that is culturally mixed. Many people own their own homes. A low proportion of pupils are eligible for free school meals. A high proportion of children learn English as an additional language. Two thirds of children are from minority ethnic groups. An average proportion of children has learning difficulties and disabilities and the figure is rising gradually. The school offers part-time nursery provision for up to 26 children each morning and afternoon, but not all transfer to the reception classes. Approximately two thirds of reception children join the school from other private and voluntary nursery settings in the area. The school has achieved a Basic Skills Quality Mark and is working towards a Healthy Schools award.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 10 Inspection Report: Pinner Park First School, 31 October 2007

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Grade: 1

This is an outstanding school for many reasons. It provides high quality education and a strong ethos of care under the outstanding leadership of the headteacher. She has built a strong and capable team of highly committed and skilled teaching and support staff. Not complacent about the school's success, she has high expectations and, together with staff and governors, strives to maintain the school's high standing in the local community. The school's record of improvement indicates that it has outstanding capacity to improve. The vast majority of parents responding to the Ofsted questionnaire expressed a high level of satisfaction with the school's work. Parents appreciate the approachability of staff and are pleased with the standards achieved. They also recognise the school's warm, family atmosphere that has such a profound effect on the personal development and well being of their children. One parent sums it up

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Grade: 1

very well with the following: 'The school gives children the positive, confident attitude to learning that will stand them in good stead for the rest of their lives. A better start to education would be hard to find.' Children start school with a wide range of skills, knowledge and previous experiences. Each year group has a good number of pupils that are more able but also many with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Pupils make outstanding progress to reach high standards by the end of their time in school. For successive years, standards at Year 2 have been very high in comparison with national and local figures. Standards of writing are exceptional. In contrast to the national picture, boys do very well. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those learning English as an additional language do exceptionally well. Several factors contribute to this extremely positive picture: the exceptionally close tracking of individuals'

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Grade: 1

progress that leads to well targeted support for different groups of pupils, outstanding teaching, and pupils' exceedingly positive attitudes to learning. The progress of individual pupils is kept under constant and close review by the headteacher, inclusion coordinator and staff. A considerable strength of the provision is the level of support tailored specifically to pupils' needs. Catch-up programmes, extension groups for higher achievers, and social skills groups to develop confidence and self esteem are among the strategies used to combat barriers to achievement. Pre-teaching of key vocabulary, particularly in science, helps pupils learning English as an additional language to be able to participate effectively in lessons. Lessons are characterised by high levels of engagement in activities, with pupils learning through doing and discussing. Pupils are not afraid to have a go, confident that answers will be accepted

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Grade: 1

and any errors managed sensitively. They gain skills at a rapid rate because teachers systematically increase the challenge in lessons. Assessment of what pupils know and can do is a strong feature of teaching and teachers know their strengths and weaknesses well. This helps teachers to modify activities according to children's responses and to give regular positive feedback on how well they are doing. Pupils know they are doing well when they receive a sticker, a stamp on their work or simply a smile. Targeted marking, such as that in the 'writers' workshop' sessions, helps pupils to know precisely what to improve next time. The school's strong focus on learning gives pupils a clear sense of their own achievement. High quality presentation of work on display around the school sets clear expectations as well as celebrating achievement. 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Pinner Park First School, 31 October 2007

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Grade: 1

Pupils enjoy school a great deal. Attendance is rising as the school continually discourages parents from taking holidays in term time. Behaviour is exemplary in class, around the school and on the playground, where pupils from different ethnic groups play harmoniously. Younger pupils are helped to find games to play and things to do by the Year 3 'buddies' who take their responsibilities extremely seriously. Pupils have occasional disagreements but feel that serious incidents of bullying and name-calling are rare and dealt with effectively. 'Golden rules,' displayed around the school, remind pupils of the high expectations and assembly themes support their growing understanding of how they should behave to each other. Pupils are consulted and help to make decisions about the school. The school's strong focus on promoting healthy lifestyles is reflected in the oldest children's good knowledge of a healthy diet.

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Grade: 1

The headteacher and senior staff monitor and evaluate the quality of provision closely, through lesson observations, work sampling, and tracking of children's individual progress. Achievement coordinators are playing an increasingly significant role in leading improvements in their year groups. Sampling and moderating children's work makes a strong contribution to teachers' knowledge of what is working well and what needs to be changed. Systems for analysing class and year group assessment information are still developing. There is scope to analyse data more extensively to give senior staff the big picture of the value they add to the pupils during their time in school. Governors give the school strong support and challenge. However, they are in breach of a statutory duty to employ a qualified teacher in the Nursery class. Well established links with key staff and involvement in the school's self evaluation processes give

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Grade: 1

governors a clear view of the quality of provision. A systematic programme of refurbishment has resulted in a vibrant, stimulating environment for learning that instils in pupils a sense of pride in their school. Pupils spoken to by the inspector found it hard to think of anything in the school that could be better!

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Grade: 1

The school rightly judges the Foundation Stage as outstanding. Parents are pleased with the start their children make. The well established system for making home visits before children start nursery eases the transition from home to school. Children are exceptionally well settled. They respond extremely positively to the very stimulating environment, both indoors and out, and to the many and varied things to do in the Nursery. The high quality of support and intervention from staff gives strong encouragement for children to participate, make choices and share. Bi-lingual staff make a valuable contribution to supporting children learning English as an additional language. In Reception classes, well established routines help children new to Pinner Park to settle and develop positive relationships, while those who attended the nursery build well on their previous experiences. The space for outdoor learning is more limited but

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Grade: 1

used effectively. By the end of Reception, the majority of children reach the goals expected of them and a good proportion exceed expectations. They have a very solid foundation in basic skills. In particular, the strong focus on teaching phonics and the introduction of cursive handwriting makes a significant contribution to children's outstanding progress in early literacy skills. Nursery and Reception staff are currently refining systems for assessing children's skills and knowledge when they start school and for checking the progress they make. 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Pinner Park First School, 31 October 2007

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Formalise systems for assessing children when they start school in Nursery or Reception and analyse the information from tracking pupils' individual progress to measure the value the school adds to pupils' learning. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Pinner Park First School, 31 October 2007 .

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What the school should do to improve further

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Pinner Park First School, 31 October 2007

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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 1 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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Achievement and standards

1 How well do learners achieve? 1 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 1 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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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 How well learners enjoy their education 2 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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and interests of learners?

1 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. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: Pinner Park First School, 31 October 2007

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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 1 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 1 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? 9 of 10 Inspection Report: Pinner Park First School, 31 October 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

8 November 2007 Dear Children Inspection of Pinner Park First School,Pinner,HA5 5TL I was delighted to meet you when I came to inspect your school. A special 'thank-you' to those of you who came to speak to me and to the 'buddies' who told me about their important playtime job. I think your school is outstanding. You have such interesting things to do. You told me you like school and you found it hard to think of anything that could make it better. Although you sometimes have squabbles, I think your behaviour is exemplary. You may need to find out what that word means. It was great to see you all playing so well with each other. I was amazed at how much you know about healthy eating. Your teachers and the other grown ups look after you very well and help you to learn a great deal. You know when they are pleased with your work. They help you to know what you have to do to improve. I was impressed that you talk a lot about learning and that you all know about

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

W.A.L.T. and W.I.L.F. I have asked your teachers to check up how much you learn while you are at school. With best wishes Jane Wotherspoon Her Majesty's Inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Pinner Park First School, 31 October 2007

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