Wimbledon Park Primary School

Wimbledon Park Primary School Inspection report

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102648 Unique Reference Number Merton Local Authority 308077 Inspection number 30 September –1 October 2008 Inspection dates Madeleine Gerard 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 440 School (total) 104 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 Dr Yvonne Young Chair Ms Dee Russell Headteacher 4 July 2005 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Havana Road School address London SW19 8EJ 020 8946 4925 Telephone number 020 8944 0255 Fax number

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3–11 Age group 30 September –1 October 2008 Inspection dates 308077 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 11 Inspection Report: Wimbledon Park Primary School, 30 September –1 October 2008

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Wimbledon Park Primary is a larger than average size school with Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provision for children in Nursery and Reception. Pupils come from a variety of different backgrounds. The percentage who are learning English as an additional language is well above that found in most schools although few are at an early stage of learning English. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities who receive additional support in lessons is below average and many of these have moderate learning difficulties and find basic literacy and numeracy difficult. The school has a number of nationally recognised awards including the Activemark for Physical Education (PE), Healthy and Eco School Status, and the Gold Artsmark.

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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: Wimbledon Park Primary School, 30 September –1 October 2008

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Grade: 3

Wimbledon Park Primary is a satisfactory school. The school's strengths are in the personal development of the pupils, the welfare of pupils, particularly in the EYFS and in its approaches to community cohesion. As a parent explained, 'The children's voice is heard throughout the school. They have a great sense of maturity, ownership of the school and responsibility for their actions'. Children make good progress in the EYFS so that many have exceeded the goals expected by the start of Year 1. In recent years, standards in national tests at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 have been generally above average. From their starting points, this represents satisfactory progress. The good curriculum ensures pupils have a wide range of interesting work to do. Topic themes are well planned and contribute to pupils' good understanding of other global communities. For example, pupils in Year 5 study the Caribbean and listen to tales of the Caribbean from a

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Grade: 3

visiting storyteller. Teaching and learning are satisfactory. Although there is some good teaching, it is not consistent enough to ensure all pupils progress well. Teaching is often lively but when pupils spend too long listening to the teacher the pace drops and their learning slows. Recent improvement in the tracking of pupils progress is helping the school to check more regularly how well pupils are doing, and provide appropriate support where needed. However, teachers are not using such assessment information well enough to ensure that pupils are always set suitably challenging tasks. Consequently, expectations about what the pupils can do are not always high enough, and their progress is not as quick as it should be. Overall, the care guidance and support provided for pupils is satisfactory. There is strong pastoral care. However, pupils are not always helped to understand their learning targets and

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Grade: 3

marking does not make consistently clear to pupils what they should do to improve their work. Leaders and managers have worked effectively to develop the outside areas of the school which contribute so well to pupils' very positive attitudes towards keeping fit and healthy. Pupils enjoy opportunities to take on a very wide range of responsibilities in the school. The eco committee speak very knowledgably about their responsibilities within the ecological garden, the school and wider global communities. For example, they are rightly proud to have been involved in nurturing and releasing fish into the River Wandle. Older pupils are trained peer mediators to ensure break-times run smoothly; younger pupils are eager to take on these roles when their time comes. Each year, a pupil in Year 6 takes on the task of being headteacher for the day. As a result, leadership and teamwork skills as well as self-confidence and self-esteem

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Grade: 3

grow extremely well. Pupils' behaviour around the school and in lessons is good. They enjoy coming to school very much and their well above average attendance reflects this. Parents praise the school and comments show they particularly value the contribution the school makes to their children's happiness and personal development. All staff work well together as a team. The school has a satisfactory understanding of its performance because there is a regular cycle of monitoring. Priorities for action, which stem from this process of self-evaluation, do not always focus on the most significant issues. The school's analysis of assessment information is not always sharp enough to ensure all pupils make the progress they are capable of. As a result, the school's capacity to make the necessary improvements is satisfactory. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Wimbledon Park Primary School, 30 September –1 October 2008

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Grade: 2

The EYFS is well led and managed. Children get off to a good start and settle quickly because induction arrangements into the Nursery are very good. They include individual home visits and an emphasis on close partnership with parents. Children join the large Nursery with a range of skills and capabilities but they are generally at the expected levels for their age. There are fewer places available in the Reception and those children who enter the Reception classes have skills and capabilities which are generally above those expected for four-year-olds. Adults quickly assess the individual learning needs of all the children including those learning English as an additional language and children with moderate learning difficulties. Close partnership with parents and external agencies ensure all children are extremely well supported and that their welfare is a priority. Adults in the EYFS prioritise the development of

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Grade: 2

social and emotional skills and as a result their personal development is outstanding. One parent commented, 'My child's year in the Nursery was the happiest, most settled year of his life (to date!)'. Across the EYFS, teaching is good because adults plan a wide range of stimulating activities in the classroom. In the Nursery, children have good opportunities to develop their skills in the outdoor areas. However in the Reception, the use made of the outdoor areas often prioritises physical development and opportunities are missed to promote other aspects of children's learning.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure that teachers have a shared understanding of the pace, challenge and expectation required to ensure all pupils make good progress. ■ Use information from assessments and marking to plan work consistently well matched to pupils' needs and ensure they know their targets and how to improve their work. ■ Sharpen the skills of leadership and management in pinpointing the most important areas for development. 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

Test results at the end of Years 2 and 6 are generally above average in reading, writing and mathematics. Progress is satisfactory overall because there is too much variation in achievement because of inconsistencies in the quality of teaching. There are examples of good progress. However, the school's own assessment records show that in every year too many pupils have not been making the good progress of which they are capable, particularly in literacy and numeracy. Provisional data for 2008 also shows that pupils reached above average standards at the end of Key Stage 1 and broadly average standards overall at the end of Key Stage 2. This represents a dip in attainment by the end of Year 6 for this cohort of pupils. However, they reached broadly average standards at the end of Year 2, reflecting satisfactory progress. Pupils from different backgrounds make similar progress. Targeted support and small group

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Grade: 3

work for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities help them to make good progress. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Wimbledon Park Primary School, 30 September –1 October 2008

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Grade: 1

Pupils' are very enthusiastic about school and thoroughly enjoy the experiences they have. They play a full part in the life of the school. Pupils are keen to learn and do well. The personal development of pupils is excellent; they are polite and are prepared to work hard. Pupils make a real commitment to adopt healthy lifestyles and the number of pupils who walk or cycle to school is growing. As a result of the pupils' suggestions, the school has introduced a 'thinking station' where any difficulties that may arise during break time can be discussed with members of the Year 6 'Children that Care' (CTC) team. Pupils are confident that older pupils will take effective action to mediate any problems. One pupil said, 'I feel happy at school and safe always'. The Health Brigade team have won a local authority prize for their work to improve the dining experience at the school. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is

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Grade: 1

good. Through numerous excellent opportunities to take on responsibility, from, for example, litter detectives to house captains, they grow in confidence. Their above average standards in basic skills, positive attitudes to work and strengths in teamwork stand them in good stead for their future lives.

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Grade: 3

Teaching is sometimes good. However, it is not always good enough across the school to ensure that pupils progress consistently well. Teachers use resources, including interactive whiteboards, to explain tasks and clarify pupils' thinking. This helps to motivate pupils. However, opportunities to involve pupils' in checking for themselves how well they are doing are sometimes missed. Pupils who struggle with basic literacy and numeracy, as well as pupils learning English as an additional language, receive good targeted support in small groups. Consequently, they make good progress. However, the information gathered from assessment is not used consistently enough to match work effectively to all pupils' needs. As a result, the pace of learning slows. The quality of marking and target setting is uneven because it does not always make clear to pupils what the next steps are in their learning.

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Grade: 2

The good curriculum is broad and balanced and supports pupils' personal development particularly well. There are good enrichment opportunities; with themed weeks, opportunities to learn Italian, swimming in Years 3 to 6, music, drama and residential visits. Over 2008 the school has organised a number of exciting activities to celebrate the school's centenary year involving all members of the school and local community. For example, pupils enjoyed meeting a former member of staff who was also celebrating her one hundredth birthday. There are some good links between subjects. However, the curriculum is not always used systematically to promote pupils' progress in literacy and numeracy across a wide range of subjects. There is a good range of well-attended lunchtime and after-school clubs including chess, choir and sports. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Wimbledon Park Primary School, 30 September –1 October 2008

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Grade: 3

Care, guidance and support are satisfactory overall. Pastoral support is good and contributes to pupils' self-assurance and security. Arrangements for safeguarding pupils' health, safety and well-being are robust and members of staff are well-trained. As a result, pupils feel happy, safe and well cared for. Good links with outside agencies provide appropriate support. For example, through links with the local All England Tennis Club selected pupils follow a programme to support their literacy, numeracy and computing skills. School leaders work successfully to promote regular attendance and good punctuality. Academic guidance is weaker. There are good systems to check how well pupils are making progress. The data gathered from assessments is not always used to ensure all pupils are doing as well as they can. Some pupils know their targets and what to do to improve further but this is not consistent.

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Grade: 3

The headteacher works hard together with other school leaders and managers to create a happy school where all members of the school community matter. As a result, the staff feel valued and are a well-motivated and hard-working team. For example, they coach the school's sporting teams in football, netball, hockey, rugby and basketball. The governing body is supportive and very committed. Community cohesion is well promoted. The well established weekly farmers' market held in the school playground serves the local community and provides the school with plants and vegetables for the cookery club. The school is popular and pupils' well-being and self-esteem are developed very successfully. Rightly, school leaders and governors point to these achievements as evidence of the school's success. However, the school is not using consistently challenging targets to bring about improvements in the rates of all pupils' progress

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Grade: 3

and raise standards further. Although there is a reasonable amount of monitoring of provision involving senior and subject leaders, there is not a sharp enough analysis of how provision, particularly teaching, influences pupils' progress and the standards they attain. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Wimbledon Park Primary School, 30 September –1 October 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: Wimbledon Park Primary School, 30 September –1 October 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?

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

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 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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Wimbledon Park Primary School, 30 September –1 October 2008

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learners?

2 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 1 The attendance of learners 2 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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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 2 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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Wimbledon Park Primary School, 30 September –1 October 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

10 October 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Wimbledon Park Primary School,London,SW19 8EJ Thank you for your very friendly welcome and for helping us when we visited your school recently. Wimbledon Park Primary is a satisfactory school. We enjoyed our visit very much and were delighted to see how well Year 5 pupils took on responsibilities in the school while Year 6 were away on their visit to Osmington Bay. We also enjoyed hearing about the many ways you have been celebrating your school's centenary year. We wanted to tell you what we found. I list below the strengths of your school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You are very happy at school, enjoy coming and attend very regularly.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your parents like the school very much too.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You have extremely good personal skills and you carry out jobs in an adult way and work very well together in teams. ■ You have a good understanding of people who live in your local community and those who live in communities that are different to your own. ■ The youngest children get off to a good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage, and are looked after very well. ■ By the end of Year 6 standards are high, but they could be higher.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Those of you who find learning hard get additional help and do well.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You have lots of extra activities which you find fun.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

We have asked the school to make sure you know what to do to move up to the next level in your work and that when teachers mark your work they give you a clear idea about how to make it even better. Some of the teaching is good and we have asked the school to carry on working hard to make sure that even more lessons are good. This will help you learn more quickly. We have asked the teachers to use the information the school collects about your standards of work to plan work that always challenges you to do your best. We have also asked the school's leaders to become more skilled in identifying what needs to be improved in the school. You can help by continuing to work hard and by telling the teachers if the work is too easy or too hard for you. Finally, we would like to thank you once again for your help. We wish you well in the future. Yours sincerely Madeleine Gerard Lead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Wimbledon Park Primary School, 30 September –1 October 2008

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