Greek Primary School of LondonOfsted inspection, 6 Mar 2008

Independent School

DCSF Registration Number 307/6080 Unique Reference Number 131788 Inspection number 320355 Inspection dates 5-6 March 2008 Reporting inspector Jill Bainton

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Independent School

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 162A of the Education Act 2002 (as amended by schedule 8 of the Education Act 2005). 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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Independent School

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 08456 404040 www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Purpose and scope of the inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under section 162A of the Education Act 2002, as amended by schedule 8 of the Education Act 2005, in order to advise the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school.

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Information about the school

Greek Primary School of London is an independent co-educational school for pupils aged four to 11 years. There are currently 68 pupils on roll. The school, opened in 1984, serves the Greek speaking community in London. Most pupils come from Greece or Cyprus. All are either native Greek speakers or bilingual. The Greek Ministry of Education runs the school, the language of instruction is Greek and the school follows the Greek National Curriculum. The school is located in detached accommodation in Acton. The school aims to provide a high quality education for its pupils and to minimise the stress and disruption to their education, which might be caused by their frequent mobility. The school is also subject to informal inspection by the Greek inspection system. This is the first inspection of the school under section 162A of the Education Act 2002.

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Evaluation of the school

Greek Primary School of London is a happy, friendly school where pupils receive a good standard of education and a satisfactory standard of care. Through using the Greek National Curriculum, which is obligatory for all Greek-funded schools and good teaching in both Greek and English, pupils make good progress. Parents are very supportive of the school. The school has met all but three of the regulations for registration.

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Quality of education

The curriculum is good. The school follows the National Curriculum of Greece, which is both broad and balanced. There is appropriate emphasis and time spent on the Greek language, mathematics and the teaching of English. The school offers a full range of subjects, including religious education (RE) and thinking skills. The subject matter is appropriate for the ages and aptitudes of the pupils, including the youngest in the pre-school. Personal, social and health education is integrated throughout the curriculum. All pupils are taught English for ten hours each week. The English curriculum in use is good and based on the English National Curriculum. A range of curriculum-related visits and after-school clubs further enhance pupils’ learning.

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Quality of education

The quality of teaching and assessment is good and, consequently, pupils make good progress. The teaching in Greek is good. The teachers interpret the curriculum effectively and pupils develop good speaking, listening and writing skills. The teachers use the set textbooks well. The teaching is formal in line with Greek practice, using teaching methods that are structured and planned. The pupils’ spoken Greek is good and their grammar is accurate. Handwriting is well taught. There is a well-integrated cross-curricular approach to subjects. Staff provide pupils with opportunities to think for themselves. Pupils are willing to learn and behave well in lessons, but in some instances older pupils are off task and lose interest. Overall, pupils make good progress but some of the older pupils could make more progress through being given more challenge during lessons.

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Quality of education

The teaching in English is good. The staff are confident; their lessons are well planned and move at a brisk pace. They are very supportive of pupils recently arrived at the school with no English. Many of the pupils speak English at home and have good speaking and listening skills. Pupils’ written work is generally good. They are making good progress and this is reflected in the confident way they speak in lessons. Some of the pupils find ‘joined up’ English handwriting more difficult. The pupils are taught handwriting from Year 4; to improve their cursive style, this is now to be started at an earlier age.

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Quality of education

There is individual support for pupils who need additional help in lessons. Resources are sufficient and used effectively. There is limited use of information and communication technology in lessons, which the school now wishes to increase. Assessment during lessons is good. There is effective ongoing testing of learning. The termly report cards record the pupils’ success in the tests.

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Quality of education

The younger pupils in the pre-school are well supported by the proficient staff but currently, there are insufficient additional staff to fully support group and practical activities for the English Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum, which is to be implemented in September 2008.

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Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the pupils

The provision for the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. The school is a happy place and pupils report that they like school. Their attendance is good. The staff are good role models and the pupils respond positively. Their behaviour is good and they settle to their work. There is a positive work ethos in the school. The school copes well with the movement of pupils into the school. These pupils report that they have been helped to settle in by the others. Pupils’ spiritual development is good; they are taught RE and have regular assemblies and opportunities to study world religions. The local Greek Orthodox priest is a regular visitor to the school assembly. The older pupils have some responsibilities within the school and feel that they have a voice through the school council. Pupils mix well in the school and all but the youngest pupils play together in the three short

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Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the pupils

breaktimes. Pupils have good literacy, numeracy and inter-personal skills; these make an effective contribution to their wellbeing and prepare them well for later life. The pupils’ cultural development is good. They take part in a wide range of activities, such as drama, dance, music, and Greek religious and national events, which positively contribute to the life of the community. The school is very effective in encouraging the pupils to acquire an appreciation and respect of their own culture. They are working proactively in forging links with other institutions to promote tolerance, harmony and respect between different cultural traditions. The school provides the pupils with a broad general knowledge of public institutions in England.

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Welfare, health and safety of the pupils

The school makes satisfactory provision for the welfare, health and safety of its pupils. The school is a safe place in which to work and learn. It has devised and implemented a range of polices for anti-bullying, behaviour and child protection. The headteacher is the named child protection officer but has yet to attend training on the most recent guidance. The school reacted very promptly when told of this omission and she was immediately booked on to a course. The school takes pupils on trips and has devised an appropriate visits policy but staff do not write risk assessments to ensure the safety of the pupils, although they are vigilant and the pupils are not at risk. Pupils are well supervised during school activities. The school is attentive to issues of fire safety. There is a trained first aider on site. The pupils are encouraged to eat healthily and can purchase food cooked at the school. They take

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Welfare, health and safety of the pupils

regular exercise. The school maintains appropriate admission and attendance registers. The school has not yet fulfilled its duties under the Disability Discrimination Act 2002 by preparing a three-year plan to improve access.

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Suitability of the proprietor and staff

The school carries out appropriate checks on staff to ensure their suitability to work with children and holds the information on a single central register.

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School’s premises and accommodation

The premises and accommodation are suitable to support effective learning. A large detached house has been adapted for this use. The classrooms are suitable for the number of pupils and provide a welcoming learning environment. The building is in a satisfactory state of repair and decoration. The school does not have appropriate facilities for pupils who are ill.

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Provision of information for parents, carers and others

The school provides a good range of information through the prospectus, school regulations and monthly newsletters. The large number of parents who responded to the pre-inspection questionnaire were supportive of the school and felt that their children enjoyed school. They made comments such as ‘this is a good school with an excellent sense of community…the process of socialisation is good.’ They receive three written reports each year containing their children’s grades in all subjects and have consultation meetings. The school staff make themselves available for a set time each week when parents can make an appointment to speak to them.

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Procedures for handling complaints

The school has a set of procedures, which meets the regulations.

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

The school meets all of the Education (Independent School Standards) (England) Regulations 2003 as amended January 2005, with the exception of those listed below.

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

The school does not meet all requirements in respect of provision for pupils’ welfare, health and safety (standard 3) and must:

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

 ensure that all staff receive safeguarding training and update the policy in line with Department for Children, Families and Schools (DCFS) guidance Safeguarding children and safer recruitment in education (2007) (paragraph 3(2)(b))

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

 prepare risk assessments for all visits outside school (paragraph 3(2)(c)).

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

The school does not meet all requirements in respect of the premises and accommodation (standard 5) and must:

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

 provide appropriate facilities for pupils who are ill (paragraph 5(l)).

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

In order to comply with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 2002 the school should devise a three-year accessibility plan.

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What the school could do to improve further

While not required by the regulations, the school might wish to consider the following points for development:

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What the school could do to improve further

 increase the use of ICT  ensure that all pupils are sufficiently challenged

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School details

Name of school Greek Primary School of London DCSF number 307/6080 Unique reference number 131788 Type of school Foreign international school Status Independent Date school opened 1984 Age range of pupils 4-11 years Gender of pupils Mixed Number on roll Boys: 40 Girls: 28 Total: 68 Annual fees No fees charged by the Greek Ministry of Education Address of school 3 Pierrepoint Road Acton London W3 9JR Telephone number 020 8992 6156 Fax number 020 8993 4373 Email address greekschool@btconnect.com Headteacher Mrs Maria Papastergiou Davies Proprietor Greek Ministry of Education Reporting inspector Jill Bainton Dates of inspection 5-6 March 2008

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