Lauriston School

100229 Unique Reference Number Hackney Local Authority 323246 Inspection number 5 March 2009 Inspection date Glynis Bradley-Peat Reporting inspector

p.1

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.

p.1

Primary Type of school Community School category 3–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 244 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 Mr John Slyce Chair Mrs Heather Rockhold Headteacher 9 May 2006 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Rutland Road School address London E9 7JS 020 8985 6331 Telephone number 020 8985 3823 Fax number

p.1

3–11 Age group 5 March 2009 Inspection date 323246 Inspection number .

p.1

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.

p.2

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: Lauriston School, 5 March 2009

p.2

Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors. The inspection evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues.

p.3

Introduction

■ What were the reasons for the dip in standards in 2008 and how high are standards presently in Years 2 and 6? ■ What are the key features of teaching and learning which ensure outstanding progress across the core subjects, but particularly in mathematics? ■ What are the key factors in leadership and management that are contributing to the school's highly successful track record? Evidence was gathered from the analysis of school documentation, observation of lessons, conversations with pupils and discussions with teachers, a governor and senior staff. Other aspects of the school's work were not inspected in detail, but the inspectors found no evidence to suggest that the school's own assessments, as given in its self-evaluation, were not justified, and these have been included where appropriate in this report.

p.3

Description of the school

The school is of average size and there is provision for the Early Years Foundation Stage for children from three to five years of age. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is higher than usually found. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is above average. Just under a third of pupils are learning English as an additional language which is higher than usually found. The proportion of pupils identified with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is higher than average, and the proportion with a statement of special educational need is above average. The proportion of pupils joining or leaving the school at other than the usual times is higher than that usually found. The school has attained many awards, for example Artsmark Gold and the Healthy Schools Award.

p.3

Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 10 Inspection Report: Lauriston School, 5 March 2009

p.3

Grade: 1

Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of Lauriston and the vast majority are exceptionally pleased with the school's work. One of many positive comments written by parents states, 'Lauriston is a brilliant school and a great community. We are very fortunate to be a part of it.' Another writes, 'My daughter has flourished in this exceptional school.' This really is an extraordinary school led by a remarkable headteacher and a talented senior leadership team. Together, they have created a real sense of purpose among all staff which focuses on enabling each and every pupil to do as well as possible. This is central to the school's vision. Self-evaluation is thorough and accurate and the school was correct to grade itself as outstanding. The leadership of subjects is also very strong. This is because leadership is well distributed so that everyone gets the opportunity to be a leader in their own classroom. The

p.4

Grade: 1

monitoring of performance and the quality of teaching and learning by the leadership team and subject coordinators is rigorous. Monitoring ensures that the targets set for the school are the right ones and that teachers receive well thought through programmes of professional development to support them and develop their expertise. Highly knowledgeable and committed governors offer both support and challenge to the school. They too want only the best for Lauriston pupils. Community cohesion is especially strong. The school community reaches out to the local, national and global community through forging outstanding links with parents, other schools and businesses. The school recently held a hugely successful, well-attended 'Building a Cohesive School Community' evening with an outside speaker and selection of workshops for parents. First-rate teaching ensures that the standards pupils reach are consistently well above average

p.4

Grade: 1

over time and their achievement is excellent. Learners meet highly challenging targets. Most pupils make outstanding progress as reflected in the school's tracking data. Those pupils with specific, moderate and language and communication difficulties make particularly exemplary progress. By the end of Year 6, standards have been significantly above average over time, but in 2008 standards were not as high as in previous years. This was because of the particularly high number of pupils with a variety of learning difficulties. However, the progress made by these pupils was similar to progress made by other year groups and a reflection of their Year 2 test results. Standards in mathematics are higher than in English and science. The school does particularly well with regard to the proportion of pupils reaching the higher Level 5, particularly in mathematics. Why is this the case? Teachers plan carefully and prepare exciting

p.4

Grade: 1

lessons which pupils enjoy very much. The impact of the school's inspirational mathematics coordinator is evident in every classroom. Teachers are empowered and confident and make learning interesting by organising activities which engage the pupils in investigating for themselves and using higher-order thinking skills. Teachers' high-quality questioning skills operate effectively in all mathematics lessons. Teaching styles are appropriate and ensure that all learners are provided with the opportunity to learn in a variety of ways. Teachers have excellent subject knowledge across all subjects. Because of a real focus in all lessons on speaking and listening, pupils' progress in writing is also improving. This is particularly the case for those younger pupils whose first language is not English. Marking is regularly and thoroughly carried out. Pupils say that they find the feedback they receive from teachers very useful and report

p.4

Grade: 1

it as being helpful in ensuring they reach their targets. The curriculum is outstanding. A very broad range of enrichment activities, both during and after the school day, ensures that pupils are provided with numerous opportunities to develop 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Lauriston School, 5 March 2009 their talents. For example, there are sports clubs, choral opportunities, instrumental tuition, art clubs, ballroom dancing clubs and a drama club. Science and maths challenge days, and writing and poetry workshops, develop creative thinking. Links with local industry are a feature of the curriculum. Pupils have worked on projects with builders, art galleries, national food outlets and chemists. The 'Micro-Society Project' and 'Work Week' have enabled pupils to learn about democracy, government, elections, running a business, and teamwork. A programme of educational visits and visitors to the school complements the curriculum. Cross-curricular themes

p.4

Grade: 1

and links ensure that learning is made more interesting. Pupils are able to learn a variety of foreign languages. Because teaching and the curriculum cater exceptionally well for the needs of all pupils, children enjoy school very much and behave extremely well. Attendance is above average. Pupils say they feel safe and happy. Pupils are well aware of the need to adopt healthy lifestyles and spoke enthusiastically about keeping fit and eating healthy foods. A very effective school council organises events to raise money such as 'Red Nose Day'. Pupils are very socially conscious and aware. As a result, pupils develop into confident young people who realise the contribution they can make to their school and local community. The 'Debating Society' has been a successful feature of school life for several years and pupils have participated in the Youth Parliament. They were winning debaters at an event organised recently by a national bank. Pupils from the

p.5

Grade: 1

school choir make a significant contribution to local church festivals and sing as the children's chorus in the New London Opera. The school successfully creates a sense of community, well-being and respect. The school's systems for promoting good behaviour ensure that pupils have positive attitudes to learning, and collaboration is excellent. Pastoral and emotional support for all pupils is outstanding. Because of the exceptional leadership of the Inclusion Manager, all pupils, no matter what the nature of their individual need, are effectively supported and make at least good progress. None slip through the net or is left behind. The school has meticulous systems in place for safeguarding pupils. Supervision at break and lunchtime is rigorous and enables pupils to enjoy safely the many playground activities. The school has an exceptional tracking system which enables all staff to easily identify each pupil's progress and areas needing improvement. Pupils

p.5

Grade: 1

are made aware of how they need to improve their work because assessment, target setting and regular verbal and written feedback give them useful guidance. Since the time of the previous inspection, Lauriston has come a long way and is continuing to improve. This is because the headteacher and her staff are never complacent. The school's superb track record demonstrates an excellent capacity for further improvement.

p.5

Grade: 1

From below-average age-related starting points on entry to the Nursery, children make exceptionally good progress and reach above-average standards by the time they leave Reception. This is the result of planning that is well informed by highly skilled observation and assessments, the stimulating curriculum and consistently good and outstanding teaching. Staff challenge children with questions that continually extend their thinking and ideas. The environment both indoors and outdoors provides children with a rich range of learning experiences. Children enjoy activities such as pretending to be builders and constructing roads. There is an excellent balance of teacher-led activities and opportunities for children to learn through independent play. Consequently, children make excellent progress in their personal development and well-being. The staff quickly establish a rapport with the parents through an

p.5

Grade: 1

5 of 10 Inspection Report: Lauriston School, 5 March 2009 initial home visit prior to children starting Nursery or Reception. This begins an excellent partnership with parents, teachers, support staff and external agencies that contributes to high levels of care and to the children's well- being. The newly appointed Foundation Stage coordinator is providing effective leadership and has firm plans to involve all her team in regular review and evaluation.

p.5

What the school should do to improve further

■ Develop the expertise of the new Early Years Foundation Stage leader so that the already outstanding provision is maintained through rigorous self-evaluation and review. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Lauriston School, 5 March 2009 .

p.6

What the school should do to improve further

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Lauriston School, 5 March 2009

p.7

Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

p.8

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? 1 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

p.8

EYFS?

1 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 1 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?

p.8

Achievement and standards

1 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 1 How well learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make progress

p.8

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: Lauriston School, 5 March 2009

p.8

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 2 The attendance of learners 1 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

p.9

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?

p.9

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 1 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? 9 of 10 Inspection Report: Lauriston School, 5 March 2009

p.9

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

19 March 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of Lauriston School,London,E9 7JS How impressed we were when we visited your outstanding school recently. What a brilliant education you all receive. We were very happy to see so many smiling faces. You behave so well and are polite and considerate. That is really good to see, well done! Thank you very much indeed for the warm welcome you all gave us, we enjoyed our time with you very much because we saw many super things. Your headteacher does an excellent job, along with her team of senior managers. They are all very keen for you all to do as well as you possibly can. Your teachers teach you exceptionally well and we saw some very interesting lessons while we were in your school. Mathematics lessons really challenge you to think hard. That is why you all do so well in national tests and reach standards that are above average. I enjoyed watching you guess how many bags of flour

p.10

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

you had in your shopping bags while you were blindfold. You really made some excellent estimations. Many of you make excellent progress in English and science too. We were also impressed by the projects and special events you have been involved in, such as the 'Business Week'. Even in a super school like yours there are always things to be done and new things to try. We have asked your headteacher to ensure that the teacher who looks after the youngest children in your school settles into her new job well. This is so that she can continue to help those children do as well as they can. Thank you for making our day in your school such a memorable one and I wish you all the very best in your school for the future. Yours faithfully Glynis Bradley-Peat Lead Inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Lauriston School, 5 March 2009

p.10