Cardinal Primary School

Cardinal Road Infant and Nursery School Inspection report

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102471 Unique Reference Number Hounslow Local Authority 308019 Inspection number 17–18 March 2009 Inspection dates Michael Milton 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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Infant Type of school Community School category 3–7 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 340 School (total) 0 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 Mrs Ruth Stevens Chair Mrs Margaret Nowak 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 Cardinal Road School address Feltham TW13 5AL 020 8890 6306 Telephone number

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3–7 Age group 17–18 March 2009 Inspection dates 308019 Inspection number 020 8893 7179 Fax number

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3–7 Age group 17–18 March 2009 Inspection dates 308019 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. 3 of 12 Inspection Report: Cardinal Road Infant and Nursery School, 17–18 March 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

The school is larger than average. Just under half of the pupils are from White British backgrounds and the other pupils are from a wide range of ethnic groups. A significant minority speak English as an additional language. A well above average proportion of pupils is eligible for free school meals. The proportion of pupils needing additional learning support is above average. The range of their needs includes emotional and behavioural difficulties, slow progress with the key skills of literacy and numeracy, and complex communication difficulties. The school manages a speech and language workshop that is funded by the local authority. This is for 30 pupils from schools in Hounslow who face difficulties in speech and language. They travel from their own schools to attend sessions in the workshop. The proportion of pupils who join or leave the school at other than the normal times is above average. The Early Years Foundation

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Description of the school

Stage comprises of morning and afternoon Nursery classes and three Reception classes. Before and after school care is run by an independent provider. The school has the Activemark and Healthy School awards and the Bronze School Travel Plan.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 4 of 12 Inspection Report: Cardinal Road Infant and Nursery School, 17–18 March 2009

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Grade: 2

This is a good school. It has some outstanding features and a few areas for improvement. Parents are very pleased with what the school provides. As one parent wrote, 'It's a happy, well-run school. We get on brilliantly with the teachers who are always there to listen to any problems and deal with them effectively.' The headteacher's very effective leadership has resulted in staff working together as a strong team that focuses on improving the pupils' welfare and education. They have created stimulating, imaginative learning environments in all parts of the school. The school knows its strengths and weaknesses accurately because systematic and thorough self-evaluation involves all staff. It is good at remedying any weaknesses. The school provides outstanding care, guidance and support. All staff know the needs of individual pupils extremely well and provide high-quality care. The staff provide excellent

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Grade: 2

support to involve vulnerable pupils fully in the life of the school and to support their families as required. The school tracks the academic progress of each pupil carefully. Any pupil making insufficient progress is given effective extra support and teaching. As a result of this outstanding provision, pupils' personal development and well-being are excellent and provide a strong foundation for good learning. The Activemark and Healthy School awards recognise the contribution the school makes to pupils' excellent healthy lifestyles. Pupils are happy, self-confident and courteous to visitors. They feel safe, and isolated incidents of bullying are resolved quickly by staff. Their behaviour is excellent in lessons, they enjoy learning and take pride in their work. As well as receiving high-quality care, pupils care for each other and one commented, 'Everyone looks after everybody at this school'. The school takes very good steps

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Grade: 2

to encourage good levels of attendance. Attendance rates have improved in the last year and are now average for similar schools. However, the local authority has identified the school as requiring additional resources for improving the attendance of a small number of pupils whose absence is well above average. Pupils make a good contribution to the community through, for example, their active roles in the school council and charity events. When children join the Nursery, their skills and understanding are well below the expectations for their age. During the Early Years Foundation Stage, they make consistently good progress and most achieve the expected standards by the end of Reception. This good progress continues during Years 1 and 2. By the end of Year 2, pupils' standards are above average in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils achieve well in science. In the 2008 national assessments, boys'

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Grade: 2

reading standards were below the national average for boys. Since then, the school has taken a good range of steps to improve boys' reading and some boys have started to make rapid progress. A number of improvements are so recent that there has been insufficient time for them to have an impact on boys' standards. All groups of pupils achieve well, including those who speak English as an additional language. A large majority of the pupils who attend sessions in the speech and language workshop make very good progress because of its outstanding provision. The workshop provides very effective specialist teaching based on the careful assessment of each pupil's progress. Pupils achieve well because teaching is good with some outstanding lessons. Lessons provide a wide range of interesting learning activities that are well matched to pupils' differing learning needs. A large majority of pupils know how they can improve their work. The good curriculum

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Grade: 2

emphasises pupils' key skills of literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT), and pupils make good use of these skills in their well-structured scientific enquiries. Almost all Year 2 pupils attend at least one lunchtime or after school club. Pupils' 5 of 12 Inspection Report: Cardinal Road Infant and Nursery School, 17–18 March 2009 good key skills, their excellent personal development and their learning about the local community give them an excellent preparation for their next stage of learning. Leadership and management are good. The leadership structure involves all teachers in improving the school's provision. Governance is good and the governing body asks questions that challenge the school about the quality of its provision and pupils' achievement. Pupils' standards have risen since the last inspection. The school has a good capacity for further improvement.

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Grade: 2

On entry to the Nursery, children have particular weaknesses in their communication, language and literacy skills. However, they make good progress during their Nursery and Reception years and a large majority have the skills and abilities that are expected of five-year-olds when they join Year 1. Children from different groups, including those from minority ethnic backgrounds, make similar good progress. Children's personal, social and emotional development is outstanding because of the very good levels of care they receive, the high priority given to their safety, and their very good relationships with adults. Good links with parents also help children to make good progress. Children take turns, play well together, listen to each other, usually sustain their concentration well and are becoming independent learners. They are taught very well to take good care of themselves and others as, for example, they move equipment into place for

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Grade: 2

a physical development session. Teaching and learning are good. Teachers and the well-qualified teaching assistants work as effective teams. They interact with children skilfully, building up their self-confidence. This fosters children's excellent personal development, and their engagement with learning. Occasionally there are missed opportunities for children to use their initiative or to think about their play and learning. The interesting curriculum gives a good balance between activities that adults direct and those that the children can choose. However, the curriculum planning is not always clear enough about the specific skills and understanding that children are learning, which sometimes results in them not making the maximum rate of progress. The large, well-equipped outdoor learning areas provide a very wide range of opportunities for play and learning. The classrooms have specific learning areas and the good resources are readily accessible to the children. The good

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Grade: 2

leadership and management make effective use of the school's self-evaluation and external expertise to identify areas for improvement. Since the last inspection, there have been good improvements to provision, especially to the use of the outdoor areas.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Increase the rates of attendance of the children who are frequently absent by making effective use of the extra resources to be provided by the local authority. ■ Improve the teaching of reading so that boys' reading standards rise.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure that all planning in the Early Years Foundation Stage is clear about the specific skills and understanding that children are learning.

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Grade: 2

All groups of pupils make good progress because lessons provide work for the full range of learning needs and include effective support from teaching assistants. In addition, there is 6 of 12 Inspection Report: Cardinal Road Infant and Nursery School, 17–18 March 2009 good quality special provision for groups such as those learning English as an additional language, and the gifted and talented. Pupils who need extra support with their learning make good progress during well-planned, special, small group sessions that are well matched to their needs and motivate them to learn. Pupils' achievement in science is good because they carry out well-structured scientific enquiries. They present their data in bar charts and the more able pupils explain their findings. The school sets challenging targets to improve pupils' standards. Standards rose significantly in 2008, reflecting the improving picture.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' spiritual development is supported by their quiet reflection in assembles, where many join in with the school's prayer, and through good religious education lessons. Pupils' excellent behaviour, together with their care and respect for others, reflect their strong moral development. They work extremely well in groups of different sizes and form very good relationships with the school's staff. Pupils' cultural development is enhanced by the very wide range of cultures represented by the pupils and staff, the range of visitors to the school and the rich curriculum. Attendance rates are broadly average for similar schools. The school is on track to achieve its attendance target but acknowledges that there is scope for further improvements to attendance rates.

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Grade: 2

Lessons have a number of common strengths. Teachers share clear information about what the pupils are expected to learn and how they will know that they have achieved this, and use this to help the pupils assess their own work. Teachers provide resources and explanations effectively through the interactive whiteboards. Pupils' work is regularly marked. Marking provides advice about improvement although it does not always give precise 'next steps' to the pupils. Occasional weaknesses include a slow pace for particular activities and imprecise explanations. In outstanding lessons, the excellent class management and expert, imaginative lesson planning based on the assessment of pupils' progress, lead to a great deal of learning with no wasted time. At the last inspection, pupils' presentation of their work was often untidy, but teachers' expectations have risen and pupils' work is now neat and ordered for all abilities.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is well matched to pupils' learning needs and interests, and contributes to their enjoyment of school. The good provision for key skills includes problem-solving and thinking skills, and pupils apply these through a range of topics and subjects. The school teaches a systematic programme of linking sounds to letters. Recent improvements to the teaching of reading, including the greater use of books that appeal to boys, have started to raise achievement. The strong programme of personal, health, social and citizenship education contributes to pupils' outstanding personal development. The curriculum is enriched for sports and art through links with local colleges. 7 of 12 Inspection Report: Cardinal Road Infant and Nursery School, 17–18 March 2009

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Grade: 1

Procedures for safeguarding pupils meet requirements and are regularly reviewed. With strong support from the governing body, the school carries out the necessary health and safety checks and risk assessments. The school is taking a very good range of actions to improve pupils' rates of attendance, and these have been effective with some pupils who had high levels of absence. A significant number of pupils arrive during the school year. On arrival, their standards are assessed and they are given very good levels of care by both adults and pupils so that they quickly start learning. The school works well with parents and a wide range of other agencies, including the school nurse, to ensure that pupils make good progress.

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Grade: 2

Leaders and managers are highly effective in securing pupils' outstanding personal development and well-being, and good in raising pupils' academic standards. The headteacher's very good leadership has secured the commitment of all staff to improving the quality of care and education provided. Both staff and pupils share the headteacher's high expectations. The stable, hard-working staff help individual pupils overcome any barriers to learning and ensure that all groups achieve well. All staff contribute to the thorough, systematic evaluation of all aspects of the school's work and there is a strong drive to remedy any weaknesses, such as those in boys' standards of reading. Community cohesion is outstanding. Pupils from a very wide range of backgrounds share the school's common values and are fully involved in the school's life. The school makes some good use of parents' rich cultural backgrounds to enhance pupils'

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Grade: 2

learning. Through its work to improve attendance, the school gives very strong support to some families that face considerable difficulties. The school helps parents improve their key skills by providing an ICT club and encouraging some parents to attend nearby English classes. The school's speech and language workshop benefits pupils from schools across the local authority. A good number of members of the local community, including police officers and fire fighters, contribute to pupils' education. The school has carried out a thorough evaluation of its contribution to community cohesion, identified key points for improvement and started to address these. 8 of 12 Inspection Report: Cardinal Road Infant and Nursery School, 17–18 March 2009 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 9 of 12 Inspection Report: Cardinal Road Infant and Nursery School, 17–18 March 2009

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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? 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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EYFS?

2 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 2 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 1 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 2 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

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Achievement and standards

2 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 2 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. 10 of 12 Inspection Report: Cardinal Road Infant and Nursery School, 17–18 March 2009

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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 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 3 The attendance of learners 1 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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learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 1 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 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 1 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 1 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 1 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? 11 of 12 Inspection Report: Cardinal Road Infant and Nursery School, 17–18 March 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

31 March 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of Cardinal Road Infant and Nursery School,Feltham,TW13 5AL The other inspectors and I really enjoyed visiting your school earlier this week. You made us very welcome. We were impressed by the way you spoke so politely and confidently to us. It was interesting to hear that many of you enjoy learning and being with your friends. We enjoyed looking at the good, neat work in your books. Your school is good. You make a good start to your learning in the Nursery and Reception classes, and enjoy playing and working in the classrooms and outdoor areas. The teachers' planning for children's play and work could be clearer about what they want them to learn. We have asked the school to improve this. During Years 1 and 2, you continue to learn well and your standards are above average in reading, writing and mathematics. Some boys need to achieve better in their reading. Teachers are working hard to engage the boys in reading and

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

we have asked them to complete this improvement. You achieve well because teaching is good and you learn interesting things. It is impressive that many of you know what you need to do to improve your work. All adults take excellent care of you all and make learning enjoyable. As a result, your behaviour is excellent and you are keen to learn. Some pupils do not come to school often enough and we have asked the school to help improve their attendance so that they learn as much as possible. Your headteacher, staff and governors want the school to be even better than it is now. They are good at identifying what is not as good as it should be and then taking action to get the improvements needed. You can all help the school to improve by continuing to behave so well and trying to learn as much as you can. Also, you can try to come to school as regularly as possible. Yours faithfully Michael Milton Lead Inspector

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

12 of 12 Inspection Report: Cardinal Road Infant and Nursery School, 17–18 March 2009

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