Paxton Primary School

100577 Unique Reference Number Lambeth Local Authority 323301 Inspection number 25–26 February 2009 Inspection dates Sue Vale 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 196 School (total) 38 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 Ms Rachel Lindner Chair Ms Arziye Craig-Kemal Headteacher 18 January 2006 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Woodland Road School address London SE19 1PA 020 8670 2935 Telephone number 020 8766 6843 Fax number

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3–11 Age group 25–26 February 2009 Inspection dates 323301 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: Paxton Primary School, 25–26 February 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Paxton Primary is situated in the Gipsy Hill area of London. Most pupils come from Black African, White British or Black Caribbean heritages. An increasing proportion comes from other ethnic backgrounds. Around a quarter of pupils are entitled to free school meals, which is higher than usual. Increasing numbers of pupils join and leave the school throughout the year. The proportion of pupils who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities, particularly moderate learning difficulties, is increasing and is now broadly average. The school gained the Healthy School Award in July 2008. There is provision for the Early Years Foundation Stage with 39 full-time equivalent places in the Nursery and 29 in Reception. The after-school club is run by a project which is a registered charity.

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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: Paxton Primary School, 25–26 February 2009

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Grade: 4

In accordance with section 13(3) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement, because it is performing significantly less well than in all the circumstances it could reasonably be expected to perform. The school is therefore given a notice to improve. Significant improvement is required in relation to standards, achievement and the school's self-evaluation. Paxton Primary School has been through a difficult time since its last inspection. Staffing problems have meant that some year groups have had a number of changes of teacher, which has interrupted the progress in pupils' learning and resulted in inadequate achievement, and standards that are too low by the end of Year 6. The school is beginning to recover and progress is now satisfactory in lessons but older pupils still have a long way to go to make up for past underachievement in learning in Key Stage 2. A trend of improving standards is emerging in

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Grade: 4

Years 1 and 2. In 2008 standards at the end of Year 6 fell sharply. They were below the expected level in English and mathematics and exceptionally low in science. In mathematics, this compounded a drop in standards in 2007. A significant proportion of parents expressed concerns about low standards and the weak progress that their children had made. Several expressed a lack of confidence in the leadership and management. Inspectors agree that the school is not as good as it was at the time of the last inspection. However, effective steps are being taken to bring about improvement and leadership is satisfactory. The headteacher is well supported by her deputy headteacher, and together they have introduced more rigorous monitoring and assessment systems. The new assessment system has been implemented to carefully track pupils' progress. As a result, teachers are identifying which pupils need extra support to accelerate their progress. A new management structure is also

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Grade: 4

being introduced to ensure that there is more rigorous monitoring of teaching and learning and greater accuracy in self evaluation. Currently the school has far too positive a view of its performance. Nevertheless, some weaknesses have been accurately identified and are being addressed. Governors have recently appointed a new chair. She is keen to help move the school forward, as are the other governors. These developments are starting to have a positive impact. Consequently, the school has a satisfactory capacity to improve. Pupils' personal development and the curriculum are satisfactory. Themed days and special events enhance pupils' enjoyment of learning. Behaviour is satisfactory and contributes to the school being a safe and friendly place to be. Most pupils enjoy school and value the range of new clubs. They are adopting healthy lifestyles well. Pastoral care is good. As one parent commented, the school provides, 'a caring environment'.

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Grade: 4

Teaching and learning are satisfactory. Many lessons are helping pupils to make inroads into past underachievement. The school has relied heavily on temporary teachers in the past and the expectations of a few staff have not been high enough. The appointment of more permanent teachers has established greater continuity. This, together with better training, has generated improvements in learning and an increase in the rate of pupils' progress. However, leaders know that although teaching, and consequently progress in lessons, are satisfactory, the teaching is not demanding enough to make sure all pupils are making the rapid progress needed to make up lost ground and to eradicate underachievement. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Paxton Primary School, 25–26 February 2009

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Grade: 2

Provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage is good because of effective leadership and management which ensure that children are taught well. Children start in the Nursery with skills and abilities that are broadly as expected for their age. By the time they leave Reception they are working securely within the early learning goals in most areas of learning. They make better progress in their personal, social and emotional development than in other areas of learning. Parents are delighted with the Early Years Foundation Stage, as one parent comments, 'My daughter loves Nursery.' A sustained emphasis on developing speaking and listening skills is helping to improve levels of communication and to support the progress that children make. Children's personal development is good. They feel secure and well cared for, and they quickly learn to share and cooperate with each other. Indoor activities are well planned and stimulating. The outdoor play

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Grade: 2

facilities, which are currently in the process of being built, have the potential to enhance young children's learning experiences by enabling them to move freely between indoors and outdoors. The robust systems for assessment and observations of children in lessons support and help them to make progress. Parents of children in the Early Years Foundation Stage feel that there is good communication between home and school.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Accelerate the rate of pupils' progress in order to raise standards and improve achievement in English, mathematics and science. ■ Develop more rigorous and accurate self-evaluation in order to identify weaknesses, address them quickly, and set targets that are more challenging.

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Grade: 4

Pupils enter Year 1 with broadly average standards. They make satisfactory progress in Years 1 and 2 so that, by the end of Year 2, they are reaching broadly average standards in reading, writing and mathematics. However, pupils' progress has been much slower in Years 3 to 6. Test results fell sharply in 2008 because of these weaknesses in learning earlier in the key stage. Low levels of attainment are still evident in some classes. Although pupils are currently making satisfactory progress in lessons, it is not rapid enough to overcome underachievement and raise standards to where they should be. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make more consistent progress than their peers, because of the extra help that they are given. Successful support for individual pupils allows them to gain access to the curriculum. Teachers and teaching assistants work well alongside these pupils and with those who are new to learning English. Pupils that are more

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Grade: 4

able are not achieving their potential because they are not challenged sufficiently. These pupils are not developing the skills of independent learning that they should.

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Grade: 3

Pupils' personal development and well-being are satisfactory. Pupils like their school and they are confident in speaking to visitors. The school council has a developing awareness of how to 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Paxton Primary School, 25–26 February 2009 look after the environment and pupils talk about the school being a safe place. They have a good awareness of safe practices. Occasionally, pupils sit passively and allow the lesson to go on around them rather than being actively involved. Children's skills of independence and self-reliance are no better than satisfactory because they are not given enough opportunities in lessons to develop them. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is satisfactory, as is their contribution to the community. Attendance is satisfactory. The school council has regular meetings and is an emerging voice for an environmentally better school. The school has a well-developed travel plan. Pupils

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Grade: 3

enthusiastically describe their healthy lifestyle, such as eating fruit, drinking water regularly and taking exercise. They enjoy the after school clubs provided. A recent initiative to provide yoga sessions has proved to be popular. The difficulties the school has experienced in the last two years have meant that some older pupils have not developed a full repertoire of skills to contribute to their future economic well-being, so this aspect of their development is inadequate. Pupils' understanding of enterprise and finances is also limited because of weak planning for their development.

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Grade: 3

Teaching is satisfactory. Inadequate learning in the past has resulted in pupils making slower progress than expected. Consequently many lessons are currently taught to help pupils to catch up. Although lesson planning is satisfactory and teachers make it clear to pupils what they should be learning, pupils are not always given activities that challenge them. One pupil from the school council put this well when saying, 'We are not always stretched in our work'. Work is not consistently well matched to the needs of more able pupils' to help them to make rapid progress. In a few lessons good progress was observed, but there is not enough good or outstanding teaching to help pupils to overcome the previous underachievement in learning. Pupils' work is marked regularly, but approaches to giving helpful guidance on how to improve are inconsistent. Provision for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is effective, and consequently

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Grade: 3

these pupils are making more consistent progress in their learning. Good intervention strategies, such as one-to-one support from teaching assistants, allow these pupils to make satisfactory progress.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory. Younger children are being helped to link letters and sounds together, which helps them to read new and increasingly difficult words. The curriculum helps pupils to adopt healthy lifestyles and stay safe. The pupils talk about the range of clubs with enthusiasm. These activities contribute suitably to their personal development. Teachers are beginning to make links between subjects, but there is still more to do on this in order to develop a more creative curriculum. There are not enough opportunities for investigative work in science and mathematics to ensure that pupils reach higher levels in their work. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Paxton Primary School, 25–26 February 2009

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Grade: 3

The school provides consistently good pastoral care. Parents comment that they believe that their children are well looked after. The academic guidance given to pupils is satisfactory, reflecting the school's developing approach to analysing pupils' progress. Reports to parents on pupils' progress have recently been changed and some parents have found them less informative than before. The school is going to consult with parents further to seek their views and to find more useful and effective ways of reporting on their children's progress. Good child protection procedures are in place and statutory checks on the suitability of staff meet requirements. The school council has regular meetings and is an emerging voice for an environmentally better school. The school has a well-developed travel plan. Pupils are given opportunities to take responsibilities and take on new roles.

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Grade: 3

The headteacher has dealt well with some difficult staffing issues. With the good support of the deputy headteacher, she is implementing strategies to deal with underachievement in learning and inconsistencies in the pace of learning. There is an appropriate improvement plan, which focuses on the key priorities of improving standards and raising achievement. Leaders at all levels are committed to helping pupils to do well and to improving the standards they reach. They are now using the resources available to them satisfactorily and deploying staff effectively, so that pupils now make satisfactory progress in lessons. Previous targets have been too low and lacked challenge. Governors are clearly supportive of the school, and the newly appointed chair is keen to become actively involved in helping it to improve. Community cohesion is satisfactory, and promotes understanding of local and global communities. Substantial numbers of parents contacted the inspection team to express their

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Grade: 3

concerns about standards, the progress their children make and aspects of the leadership and management of the school. The inspection team agrees with these concerns regarding achievement, standards and progress. However, these issues are now being tackled appropriately, showing that leadership, management and governance are satisfactory. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Paxton Primary School, 25–26 February 2009 .

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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: Paxton Primary School, 25–26 February 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?

No 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?

3 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? 2 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

4 How well do learners achieve? 4 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 3 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: Paxton Primary School, 25–26 February 2009

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learners?

3 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 3 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 3 The attendance of learners 3 The behaviour of learners 3 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 4 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 4 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 3 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 3 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? Yes Does this school require a notice to improve? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Paxton Primary School, 25–26 February 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

03 April 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of Paxton Primary School,London,SE19 1PA You may remember that two inspectors came to your school recently. Thank you for being so helpful. I am writing to let you know our findings. Your school is a friendly place to be. We agree with you that you are well cared for and you mostly enjoy coming to school. However, your school is not yet as good as it should be and we have given it a notice to improve. This means that we have asked the headteacher and teachers to make significant improvements to help some of you to make better progress and to reach higher standards in your work. The teachers are working hard to make learning more suitable for you and they are doing well with new improvements, but there is still more to do. There is good provision in the Nursery and the Reception Class for the younger children. We have asked your headteacher and all of the adults in your school to:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ help you to make faster progress and reach higher levels in your English, mathematics and science work ■ develop a greater understanding of the things that are good at your school and the things that need to be improved. I hope that you continue to come regularly to school and that you enjoy learning about new things. Yours faithfully Sue Vale Lead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Paxton Primary School, 25–26 February 2009

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