Warrender Primary SchoolOfsted inspection, 26 Sept 2008

Warrender Primary School Inspection report

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102409 Unique Reference Number Hillingdon Local Authority 307994 Inspection number 25–26 September 2008 Inspection dates Nicola Davies 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 236 School (total) 40 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 Mark Stirling Chair Mr Paul Lake Headteacher 18 April 2005 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Old Hatch Manor School address Middlesex HA4 8QG 01895 671989 Telephone number 01895 630173 Fax number

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3–11 Age group 25–26 September 2008 Inspection dates 307994 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 10 Inspection Report: Warrender Primary School, 25–26 September 2008

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors

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Description of the school

This is a one form entry primary school in Ruislip with an Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). The majority of pupils are of White British heritage; 30% of pupils are of other, predominantly Asian, heritages. A quarter of pupils are bilingual but few are at early stages in learning English as an additional language. Few pupils are entitled to free school meals. The proportion of pupils who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities is low.

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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: Warrender Primary School, 25–26 September 2008

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Grade: 3

This school on the outskirts of Ruislip provides a satisfactory education for its delightful and highly articulate pupils. Pupils work hard, behave well and have high expectations of themselves and others. They show respect for each other and mix happily across race, gender and religious groups. Good aspects of their personal development and well-being include their understanding and enjoyment of healthy lifestyles and their contribution to the school community. However, they have limited opportunities to learn more about the lives of children who are very different from themselves and to expand their spiritual and cultural understanding. As a result, their personal development is satisfactory overall. Leaders and managers have done a great deal to improve the environment for learners since the time of the last inspection. This includes new teaching areas and improvements to the outdoor equipment, which the pupils particularly enjoy. The satisfactory curriculum is now

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Grade: 3

much enlivened by popular weeks where pupils have a chance to study an aspect of a topic in depth. Assessment has also improved and the tracking of pupils' progress is clear. This tracking indicates that, although pupils generally attain more highly than pupils nationally, the progress that they make is satisfactory in the light of their starting points, particularly in writing and mathematics. The school is rightly focussed on ensuring consistently good achievement in these areas, and more pupils are already making good progress as a result. A weaker area is how well teachers are helped by colleagues to improve their practice. For example, teachers are not always guided to use day-to-day assessment to ensure tasks are well matched to their pupils' abilities and needs. A new leadership team has recently been formed to share such responsibilities. Since the last inspection, the school has had a number of staffing changes. This has worried

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Grade: 3

some parents. Many good lessons were observed during the inspection but, in the past, there has been some inconsistent teaching which has resulted in a slowing of pupils' progress. This means that the impact of teaching over time has been satisfactory. Although most parents support the school, a minority believe that the school has been slow or unwilling to make any changes in response to their suggestions or concerns. As a result, not all feel their views are fully valued. Governors play an active part in the life of the school, but have not ensured that full records of the regular site safety checks carried out on their behalf are securely stored. Despite these weaknesses, leadership and management are satisfactory overall and provide the school with the capacity to improve.

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Grade: 3

Children join the Nursery class with attainment that is above that expected for their age. Progress is satisfactory as they move through the EYFS and the majority achieve the expected learning goals by the end of Reception. Children's achievement is good in personal and social development and this serves them well as they enter Year 1. The new staffing team have been working hard to ensure children settle in well and enjoy school, and this is achieved successfully. Leadership and management of the EYFS are satisfactory, and there is a clear plan to ensure all the new statutory welfare requirements are being fulfilled. Staff plot children's progress adequately but are not yet making sure that the 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Warrender Primary School, 25–26 September 2008 children of different ages and abilities are fully stretched. Children jump with excitement when using their interactive whiteboard and are becoming technologically proficient at an early age.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Strengthen monitoring to ensure that teaching is consistently good and activities across the school and the EYFS are always well matched to learners' ages and abilities. ■ Ensure that the governing body fulfils its statutory duty to maintain full records of relevant safety checks. 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

Standards at the school are above average. Nearly all pupils leave the school at the end of Year 6 with the expected standards in English, mathematics and science and more than half normally exceed them. Progress is satisfactory, which means that most pupils make the gains which are expected of them. Over the last year, staff have successfully implemented a new approach to writing which means that more pupils are now making good progress in this area to be working at higher levels. This is reflected in the high quality writing of older pupils. Staff are now turning their attention to mathematics. There are no significant differences in the achievement of different groups of pupils, such as girls and boys.

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Grade: 3

Pupils' clear enjoyment of school is reflected in their good attendance and behaviour and the keenness in which they take on their responsibilities as play leaders, buddies and monitors. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is satisfactory. There is good racial harmony in school, but pupils lack an awareness of the rich cultural diversity even within the Borough of Hillingdon itself. Pupils develop good skills to support their economic well-being and are well prepared for the next stage of their education. For example, pupils were overheard discussing the inspection report of their local high school and debating what this meant for them. Pupils have a good understanding of what it means to live safely and healthily.

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Grade: 3

Many good lessons were observed during the inspection but the impact of teaching over time has been satisfactory. Pupils' good attitudes to learning are a highly positive feature of the lessons at Warrender. Pupils are keen to try things out, show their skills and generally cannot wait to answer the teachers' questions. In most lessons, teachers plan clearly for learning outcomes. They share with pupils what they want them to achieve, and pupils work hard to reach the goals set. The support of the team of learning assistants is a valuable feature. These staff often use good questions and strategies to help the few pupils who find learning or behaviour more difficult. A weaker aspect of teaching over time is how well activities are planned 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Warrender Primary School, 25–26 September 2008 to meet different pupils' needs, building on their previous skills. Pupils' work is marked regularly,

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Grade: 3

but this does not always show them what they need to do to improve.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum meets statutory requirements and the school provides a range of additional, particularly sporting, activities which pupils enjoy. These help pupils to develop their good physical skills successfully. Music is another strength and many pupils play instruments very skillfully. Opportunities for pupils to develop a wider range of interests, through other school activities, are more limited. Since the time of the last inspection the curriculum has been enriched by curriculum weeks and other events which pupils and teachers enjoy a great deal. The emotional well-being of pupils is supported throughout the school. Opportunities to promote skills, including information communication technology (ICT) skills, across all subjects are limited and so form part of the school's planned development. The teaching of writing has been a recent focus and some very good work by pupils was seen during the inspection.

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Grade: 3

Satisfactory arrangements to safeguard pupils and to provide care for more vulnerable children are in place. There are strong links to specialist agencies and the school has good contacts with other local schools and prepares pupils well for their next steps. Support for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is well managed and additional staff make a good contribution to pupils' learning and well being, both in lessons and through extra activities. Academic guidance is not yet consistent. For example, short-term targets help involve pupils in understanding what they need to do to improve, but are not always reflected in the planning of lessons or series of lessons. The school was unable to provide a full written account of the steps it has taken to monitor site health and safety risks, but have taken steps to deal with this as a matter of urgency.

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Grade: 3

Despite a number of changes in personnel, leaders and managers have accurately identified improvements which need to be made, and are implementing these with enthusiasm. The new leadership team is working together well to share responsibility for improving aspects of the school. Governors are active and knowledgeable. They are involved in evaluating what the school does but are not always rigorous enough. For example, they do not play enough of a role in analysing parents' views and in ensuring that important documents are safely stored. The school makes a satisfactory contribution to community cohesion. Pupils learn about communities across Britain and overseas, but rarely have a chance to meet others who are different from themselves, for example through links with schools and pupils in very different circumstances. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Warrender Primary School, 25–26 September 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. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Warrender Primary School, 25–26 September 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? 3 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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EYFS?

3 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 3 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 3 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 3 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

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Achievement and standards

3 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 3 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. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: Warrender Primary School, 25–26 September 2008

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learners?

3 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 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 2 The behaviour of learners 3 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? 3 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 3 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 3 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 3 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? 9 of 10 Inspection Report: Warrender Primary School, 25–26 September 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

09 October 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Warrender Primary School,Middlesex,HA4 8QG Thank you so much for welcoming us to your school. We really enjoyed meeting you and sharing in some of your lessons and activities. It was lovely for us to hear your school orchestra play and see how many of you collected awards for your good work and your activities over the holidays. We were particularly impressed with how well you all get on together and how well you use your lovely playing field and equipment to keep so active during your breaks. We judged that your school is satisfactory. Although there are many good things about your school, there are also some things which could be improved. Some of these are quite simple. For example, we have asked your governors to make sure that they keep full records of the safety checks they carry out. We have also asked your teachers to work together to make sure that they help each other to check that the activities and the work you do are always just right

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

for you. We know that your school does try hard to share information with you and your parents, but not all your parents feel their views listened to. So, we have asked your headteacher and your governors to think about how they can improve this communication so that everyone feels included. We hope you have a very successful and happy school year. Yours sincerely Nicola Davies Lead Inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Warrender Primary School, 25–26 September 2008

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