Loughborough Primary School

Loughborough Primary School Inspection report

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133584 Unique Reference Number Lambeth Local Authority 316158 Inspection number 12 °13 June 2008 Inspection dates Sue Rogers 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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Primary Type of school Community School category 3 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 490 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Chris Pendergast Chair Mr Richard Thornhill Headteacher 13 October 2003 Date of previous school inspection Minet Road School address London SW9 7UA 020 7274 8374 Telephone number 020 7737 0940 Fax number

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3-11 Age group 12 °13 June 2008 Inspection dates 316158 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 three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Loughborough is a large and complex primary school with an attached children's centre. The school is unusual because so many of the pupils need support for additional learning needs of different kinds. This is a diverse multicultural community and ninety percent of the pupils are of minority ethnic origin. Nearly a half of the pupils require extra support with English when they arrive, because they do not speak English at home. Half the pupils are eligible for free school meals. Over a quarter of the pupils have learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The majority of these pupils require extra support with literacy. The school was a fresh start school in 2002 and moved into a new, purpose-designed building in 2005. It was incorporated into a soft federation with Kings Avenue Primary School in 2007. The headteacher of Loughborough School is also the executive headteacher of Kings Avenue. The school is a National College of School Leadership (NCSL) support school. It holds the

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Description of the school

following charter marks: Eco Schools Award bronze and silver, Healthy Schools Award, NAPTA Centre of Good Practice award, FA Charter, RM Pioneer Partner Award and the Activemark for Physical Education.

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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: Loughborough Primary School, 12 °13 June 2008

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Grade: 2

Loughborough is a good school where pupils make good progress in their work and in their personal development. The headteacher is excellent and he has built a strong team of school leaders, most notable of whom is the Head of School. These leaders have managed the school effectively since its fresh start and through other demanding periods of change, such as transition to new accommodation. They have been successful in their aim of building a very inclusive school. Leaders ensure that pupils are very well cared for and the school has gained the wholehearted support of the local community. Remarks such as, 'I'm proud to be a parent at Loughborough School' typified parent responses to the inspection survey. The well-managed federation with Kings Avenue has been of benefit to both schools and the school has excellent links with the local authority and other external agencies. Children enter the school with skills and knowledge that are much weaker than would be

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Grade: 2

expected of typical three-and four-year-olds. Their language skills are especially poor, often because they do not speak English at home. Pupils make good progress, considering their low starting points, to reach standards that are broadly in line with national averages in English, mathematics and science. There have been recent improvements in pupils' progress, due to improvements in teaching, which is good overall. Progress is good in all subjects, but standards in mathematics are relatively lower. Leaders recognise that this is because the teaching of English is stronger than the teaching of mathematics and they have planned, correctly, to do further work to improve mathematics' teaching. Pupils enjoy their lessons, saying that teachers are friendly and always try hard to help them with their work. Behaviour is good because of effective classroom management. Teaching assistants are used well to support pupils who struggle with English. However, at times work

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Grade: 2

set for more-able pupils is a little too easy. The use of assessment information has improved since the last inspection and pupils' progress in English and mathematics is well tracked. Some teachers give useful advice, when marking, which tells pupils clearly what they should do next. This practice is not yet embedded across the school. The curriculum has also improved since the last inspection. Information communications technology (ICT) has been particularly well developed and more attention is now given to subjects other than English and mathematics. However, there is currently very little assessment in these subjects and so teachers cannot be sure that they are planning work at the correct level of difficulty. Excellent relationships between staff and pupils underpin pupils' good social and moral development. Pupils' behaviour is good. They learn about different faith traditions and celebrate festivals such as Ramadan, Easter and Chinese New Year. This excellent spiritual and cultural

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Grade: 2

education also contributes to outstanding spiritual, moral, social and cultural education. Good teaching and well-planned opportunities for pupils to become fit result in outstanding development in health. For example, pupils enjoy initiatives such as 'Walk on Wednesdays'. Learners say that they feel safe in school and enjoy contributing to the community via the school council and by taking on helpful roles such as break time 'play pals'. Attendance has improved because of some very hard work by school staff and is average when compared to similar schools The school's strong focus on speaking and listening has been a significant factor in developing pupils' ability to work collaboratively and has contributed to their good progress. This helps to ensure that learners are well prepared for the next stages in their education. The good improvement since the last inspection shows that the school has a good capacity to

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Grade: 2

improve further. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Loughborough Primary School, 12 °13 June 2008

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Grade: 2

There are valuable links with parents through the children's centre and this helps children to settle quickly into the Nursery. Teachers rightly focus on developing children's language and personal and social skills, so children make good progress. By the time they enter Year 1, their attainment is in line with the expected levels in all areas of learning, except in linking sounds to letters and number calculations. These areas are now improving, as result of the school's recent work. For instance, children were enjoying learning to calculate by adding up animals. Teachers plan a good balance of teacher-led and children's independent chosen activities and these provide valuable opportunities to develop independent learning skills. However, there are missed opportunities for children to learn in the attractive outdoor areas.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve the quality of the teaching of mathematics.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve the use of assessment so that:

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What the school should do to improve further

- work is set at the right level of challenge for all pupils in all subjects - pupils have clear specific guidance about what they need to do to improve.

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Grade: 2

Pupils have, historically, made consistently good progress since the school was reopened. However, in 2007 there was a dip in test results at the end of Year 6, especially in mathematics and science. Pupils' books and school assessment information show that pupils are now back on track to make good progress in English, mathematics and science. Standards are improving as pupils move through the school and learners in all age groups are now working at levels that are broadly in line with national averages. Standards are higher in English, as this has been a focus for the school and particular attention has been given to writing. Progress in mathematics has improved, with an emphasis on training teachers and the setting of whole-class targets. However, pupils do not spend enough time investigating, doing sums mentally and trying out their own methods for calculating and this slows their progress. Learners who need help because

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Grade: 2

they are new to English do well, because of careful individual tracking and well-planned support.

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Grade: 2

Pupils enjoy school, characteristically explaining, 'It is fun to learn lots of things and meet my friends, rather than stay at home and watch television'. Relationships between adults and pupils are mutually respectful and pupils know that they can talk to adults if they have any personal concerns. Consequently, pupils work amicably in lessons and play harmoniously during break times. One of the reasons pupils' feel safe in the school is because they have many opportunities to discuss the consequences of bullying, making books and posters and writing poems on this theme. One Year 6 pupil eloquently expressed his sentiments, 'Unity and peace when bullying stops'. Pupils take a lead in collecting funds for charities. The school council has been effective in bringing about improvements in the school lunch menu and playground facilities. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Loughborough Primary School, 12 °13 June 2008

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Grade: 2

Teaching has been developed well, such that the learning environment in the classrooms is vibrant and stimulating and supports pupils' learning well. In most lessons there is good planning, good support from teaching assistants, good pupil concentration and very positive relationships between adults and pupils. Teachers explain clearly and pupils therefore know what they have to do. At times, planning does not cater sufficiently for pupils who are more able. Teachers' knowledge is better in English than it is in mathematics and this is, rightly, an area of focus for the school.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is now more broad and balanced and well matched to the needs of the pupils and local circumstances. It offers an excellent range of clubs, as well as visits to places of interest and many visitors to the school. During the inspection, pupils enjoyed a visit from a Romany dance group and learnt and performed dances from this culture. Pupils say that one of the best things about the school is the opportunity to learn about other cultures. They also especially enjoyed activities such as 'young writers' where stories by pupils are published for all the school to read and learning about history by designing their own Tudor costumes. ICT resources have improved and pupils can now work on laptops in class, as well as having access to interactive white boards. However, there are no assessment systems in place for most subjects and this makes it difficult for teachers to track progress and pitch work at the correct level.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development is a high priority for the school and staff respond to pupils' concerns promptly. Needs of pupils who have problems with literacy and those who are vulnerable are identified early and strategies to support their learning are very good. Arrangements for safeguarding pupils are outstanding. The school's systems for tracking individual pupils' progress in English and mathematics are rigorous and the information is used effectively to raise standards further. The school is working to improve the quality of marking and the sharing of targets, so that pupils know what they have to do next. This is particularly helping pupils in English, but is currently less effective in mathematics.

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Grade: 2

Leaders at all levels are passionate about improving the life chances of all pupils. Whilst senior leaders are good, middle leaders are still developing in their effectiveness. Governors know the strengths and weaknesses of the school, challenge effectively and are proud of the improvements in the schools environment and resourcing, to meet the needs of the community. Leaders have been very effective in establishing good relationships with parents and creating opportunities for parents to learn and so making very effective use of the children's centre. School self-evaluation is good and is built upon a wide range of good monitoring and consultation 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Loughborough Primary School, 12 °13 June 2008 systems. The school has been very effective in supporting Kings Avenue School. The federation has been beneficial to both schools when recruitment of staff has been difficult, providing

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Grade: 2

opportunities to share expertise and develop leaders. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Loughborough Primary School, 12 °13 June 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: Loughborough Primary School, 12 °13 June 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?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 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?

2 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: Loughborough Primary School, 12 °13 June 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: Loughborough Primary School, 12 °13 June 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

25 June 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Loughborough Primary School,London,SW9 7UA Thank you very much for making us so welcome when we visited you this week. We enjoyed watching you learn. Special thanks to those of you who gave up playtime to talk to us. You and your parents told me that you think yours is a good school and we agree with you. You make good progress in your lessons and in your personal development. This is because you get on very well with the teachers and other staff and the teaching is good. You make good progress in English and you also do well in mathematics. However, you do not do quite as well in mathematics as you do in English. The teachers have worked hard to improve the school and they now teach you more subjects than they used to. They also use information from tests much better now, to set work at the right level. However, at times, the work is still a bit too easy for some of you and there is not enough assessment in subjects other than English

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

and mathematics. As a result, you are not always clear enough about what you need to do to improve. You know a lot about staying healthy and about the way of life of people from other countries and of other faiths. Everyone in the school gets on together and you are very well looked after. We were very pleased to see that you are polite and behave well. It was good to hear how much you enjoy school. Although your school is a good school, some areas could be improved even more. We have asked your teachers to do the following things.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Improve teaching in mathematics so that you do as well as you do in English.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Improve assessment so that they can set work at the right level in all subjects and make sure that you know exactly what you need to do next to improve. Yours sincerely Sue Rogers Lead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Loughborough Primary School, 12 °13 June 2008

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