Macaulay Church of England Primary School

Macaulay Church of England Primary School Inspection report

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100612 Unique Reference Number Lambeth Local Authority 323311 Inspection number 18 May 2009 Inspection date Pritiben Patel 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 Voluntary aided School category 3–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 228 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 Andrew Caesar-Gordon Chair Ms Elizabeth Divall Headteacher 18 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 Victoria Rise School address Clapham London SW4 0NU 020 7622 1355 Telephone number

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3–11 Age group 18 May 2009 Inspection date 323311 Inspection number 020 7720 9378 Fax number

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3–11 Age group 18 May 2009 Inspection date 323311 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. 3 of 10 Inspection Report: Macaulay Church of England Primary School, 18 May 2009

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Introduction

Two Additional Inspectors carried out this inspection. The inspectors evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues.

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Introduction

■ Is the school able to explain the decline in standards in 2008 and present convincing evidence that shows standards will improve in 2009? ■ How effectively can the school demonstrate the outstanding progress claimed for all pupils including groups such as the more able, those with Special Educational Needs and black pupils? The inspectors gathered evidence from performance data, observations of teaching, the work produced by pupils, and observations of the pupils at play and at lunch. Parents' questionnaires and discussions with pupils, representatives of the governing body and some members of staff also contributed to the judgements. Other aspects of the school's work were not investigated 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.

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Description of the school

The percentage of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is above average. The biggest group has Black heritage. More pupils than usually found speak English as an additional language. Few pupils are at the early stages of learning to speak English. An above-average percentage of pupils are eligible for free school meals. More pupils than usually found have special educational needs including moderate learning difficulties, behavioural, emotional and social difficulties. The school's provision for the Early Years Foundation Stage comprises the Nursery and Reception class. The school has attained many awards, for example the Advanced Healthy School Award for its commitment to helping pupils adopt healthy lifestyles and the Basic Skills Quality Mark for work in improving pupils' literacy and numeracy skills.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Macaulay Church of England Primary School, 18 May 2009

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Grade: 1

Macaulay is an outstanding school because pupils make outstanding progress both academically and personally. The headteacher and deputy headteacher work excellently as a team and together provide clear direction and strong leadership for the school. All issues raised in the last inspection report have been successfully addressed. For instance, computers are used as an integral part of lessons and the impact of governors is now outstanding as they scrutinise and evaluate the school development plan, and have clear roles and responsibilities, as well as challenge senior leaders when necessary. Teachers carefully plan appropriate work for more-able pupils and consequently their rates of progress have been accelerated. The school has been awarded the Basic Skills Quality Mark in recognition of its development of pupils' high literacy and numeracy skills. These skills are assessed regularly and this information is then used to plan activities that meet the different abilities of pupils very well.

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Grade: 1

As a result, standards at Macaulay have been exceptionally high in all areas. Consequently, capacity for the school to move forward is outstanding based on this strong track record. Standards in 2008 dipped in Year 6 national tests in English, mathematics and science. This corresponded in this year group to an unusually high proportion of pupils with specific needs, particularly with behavioural and emotional needs. Nevertheless, the results still reflected very good achievement by these pupils. The school's monitoring shows that pupils in Year 6 in 2009 are on track to attain well above-average standards in all areas. This includes groups such as pupils with specific needs as well as those from a Black heritage. Senior leaders work very hard to ensure they build highly effective partnerships with other stakeholders in order to enhance provision for all pupils. These include working collaboratively

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Grade: 1

with a group of other schools to provide extended school provision before and after school, and weekend provision for pupils and their families. Partnerships with parents are also excellent. The vast majority of parents are very happy with the school. 'The school has a wonderfully warm, friendly and nurturing atmosphere', was typical of many comments. Parents help to listen to readers, as well as helping to develop the outdoor area. Pupils thoroughly enjoy their time at school and this is reflected in their good attendance. They are highly valued by all staff and pupils say that their views are taken into account when decisions are made. Pupils' contribution is outstanding as they evaluate and design aspects of the curriculum, participate in the active school council, make CDs of their own music as well as write and design school magazines. The school's promotion of community cohesion is outstanding because of the various initiatives

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Grade: 1

that have been developed. For example, its links with a school in Sierra Leone and themed events such as 'World Market Day' help both pupils and parents to appreciate different cultures and languages and parents are very much welcomed into school to share their skills and expertise with pupils. The Christian ethos has an outstanding impact on pupils' personal development and well-being, as they show great care and respect for one another and behave excellently. Their social, moral, spiritual and cultural development are outstanding. For instance, pupils write their own prayers as well as discuss and learn about Islamic architecture. The creative curriculum is helping to make learning relevant and meaningful as pupils solve problems in groups, write riddles and test the effects of global warming on the planet through experiments. Innovative programmes such as 'Lead on' help to develop pupils' leadership skills.

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Grade: 1

This, along with pupils' excellent attainment in basic skills, ensures that they are very well 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Macaulay Church of England Primary School, 18 May 2009 prepared for secondary school. A wide range of enrichment opportunities including after school sports clubs such as football, netball and tennis, as well as initiatives such as walk/cycle once a week, contribute excellently to pupils' adoption of healthy lifestyles. This success has been externally recognised as the school holds the Advanced Healthy School Award. The quality of teaching and learning are outstanding. Teachers plan lessons carefully and ensure activities are appropriately differentiated to ensure that tasks match the abilities of pupils. Learning objectives are made very clear to pupils so that they know what they are learning about. Relationships are excellent, enabling pupils to express and explore their ideas confidently.

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Grade: 1

Lessons have a fast pace and activities set require pupils to develop a very good level of independence. Talk partners are used well to ensure pupils think and reflect on their learning. Care, guidance and support are outstanding. Pastoral support for pupils is strong. Pupils with specific needs make outstanding progress because they receive excellent, carefully tailored support. Pupils understand what they have to do to improve their work in literacy and numeracy because they have individual, challenging targets.

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Grade: 2

On entry, children have expected skills with some variation. They make excellent progress in their personal, social and emotional development and good progress in physical development as well as in their knowledge and understanding of the world. Children with specific needs make good progress in line with their peers. This is because staff are well deployed and highly encouraging, caring and sensitive to the individual needs and interests of children. The organisation of activities is good and the curriculum in both the Nursery and Reception class is stimulating. There is a good balance between teacher-directed and child-initiated activities. Assessment systems are well developed and used effectively to target early interventions when needed. Staff in the Nursery and Reception class plan well together, but it is difficult for the children themselves to work collaboratively because they operate in different buildings. Senior

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Grade: 2

leaders have plans in place to address this in the future. The children's behaviour is excellent and they respond well to the high expectations that adults have of them. They thoroughly enjoy learning and engage well in the activities. There are good opportunities to develop their speaking and listening skills. Children learn to interact well with each other and their excellent relationships contribute to the enjoyable and purposeful learning environment. The Early Years Foundation Stage leader works hard to ensure continuous improvement. She has put steps in place to raise children's progress in literacy and numeracy by adapting the curriculum. The school is implementing a new reading approach that helps children to link sounds with letters and has increased opportunities for them to carry out mathematical activities. This is because the school identified that pupils' progress was a little slower in developing these skills. It is too soon to judge the impact of these initiatives.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Accelerate children's progress in literacy and numeracy in the Early Years Foundation Stage. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Macaulay Church of England Primary School, 18 May 2009 .

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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: Macaulay Church of England Primary School, 18 May 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?

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

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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

1 How well do learners achieve? 1 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

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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. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: Macaulay Church of England Primary School, 18 May 2009

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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 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

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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?

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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 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: Macaulay Church of England Primary School, 18 May 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

04 June 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of Macaulay Church of England Primary School,London,SW4 0NU On behalf of the inspectors, I would like to thank you very much for helping us when we came to find out how well you are getting on. We really enjoyed visiting your lessons and talking to some of you. We agree with you and your parents that Macaulay is an outstanding school. Here is a list of just some of the things that we found out about your school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You make outstanding progress and attain well above-average standards by the time you leave in Year 6. ■ You enjoy school very much because all staff at the school care for you very well and value your ideas and contributions very much. You told us that you feel that your school really listens to you! ■ The quality of teaching and learning are outstanding because your teachers plan activities for you where you have got to take charge and make your own decisions. For example, some of you carry out experiments in science that help you to understand the effects of global warming. ■ The curriculum is outstanding and you have opportunities to visit museums and learn about other cultures, as well as participate in a wide range of sports activities. ■ Children in the Nursery and Reception classes make a good start to school life.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ All the adults in your school, such as your headteacher, deputy headteacher, class teachers, support staff and governors, work excellently to ensure you receive an outstanding education. Even in an outstanding school like yours there are some areas that can always be improved. I have asked teachers to improve children's progress in literacy and numeracy in the Nursery and Reception classes. I am sure that you will continue to work hard, enjoy school and have fun! Yours faithfully Pritiben Patel Lead Inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Macaulay Church of England Primary School, 18 May 2009

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