Rangefield Primary School

Rangefield Primary School Inspection report

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100699 Unique Reference Number Lewisham Local Authority 323329 Inspection number 9–10 March 2009 Inspection dates Grace Marriott 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 374 School (total) 40 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 Mrs Patricia Daley Chair Mrs Sabeena Hasan Headteacher 12 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 Glenbow Road School address Bromley BR1 4RP 020 8698 3112 Telephone number 020 8695 1753 Fax number

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3–11 Age group 9–10 March 2009 Inspection dates 323329 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: Rangefield Primary School, 9–10 March 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Rangefield Primary School is larger than average. Just under half the pupils come from White British backgrounds. The other main groups are Black Caribbean and Black African, with a small number from several other ethnic groups. About a fifth of pupils speak English as an additional language, though few are at an early stage of learning English. Almost half the pupils are entitled to free school meals, which is high. The school also has a higher proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities than most schools. Their needs are mainly social, emotional and behavioural, with some pupils having speech and language difficulties and some who are on the autistic spectrum. A separate breakfast club and an after-school club take place on the school site. The headteacher has been in post since the beginning of the autumn term 2008 following a period when the school had several acting headteachers.

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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: Rangefield Primary School, 9–10 March 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 pupils' achievement and standards, and in the provision for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Rangefield has been through a period of real difficulty and instability from which it is beginning to emerge. The current headteacher is providing outstanding leadership. She has raised expectations and promoted a positive outlook for the school. She is well supported by the senior staff and all are very aware that there is still much to do. The staff and governors share the headteacher's vision for the school and the whole-school partnership with the local authority

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Grade: 4

provides a very good 'road map' for raising achievement. Thorough reviews of progress towards agreed objectives have ensured the rapid implementation of some major changes. For example, the school's monitoring records show that at the start of this year the quality of teaching was inadequate. The senior staff worked hard and systematically with the staff as a whole, and with individuals, to help teachers improve their practice. The inspection evidence confirms the school's view that teaching is now satisfactory. The introduction of regular and systematic tracking of pupils' progress and better marking and target setting is starting to have a positive impact on pupils' progress. Some teachers, though not all, are using what they know about pupils' progress skilfully, to plan challenging next steps. They are also giving pupils clear information about how to improve their work. Senior staff are aware of this inconsistency and are taking steps to deal with the situation. Major

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Grade: 4

improvements to the accommodation have improved the environment, have given pupils more pride in their school, and have supported learning well. These improvements, together with the drive and determination of senior leaders and governors, indicate a satisfactory capacity for further improvement. The Nursery and Reception classes provide a secure and welcoming environment for the youngest children, who are happy and enjoy the various play activities. Considerable staffing difficulties and poor facilities are the main reasons why provision is not meeting children's needs as well as it should be so that pupils start Year 1 from a low base. Despite the very real improvements in the school this year, standards are still too low, especially in English and mathematics. Standards in writing are particularly low. In Year 6, and for higher-attaining pupils in other year groups, progress this year is satisfactory but not good

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Grade: 4

enough to make up for poor progress in previous years. Therefore, pupils' achievement from their starting points remains inadequate. Although teaching is now satisfactory, many pupils are not making sufficiently rapid progress because expectations are not consistently high enough to enable them to catch up. Attendance is still below average, though it is starting to improve. Pupils who do attend school regularly enjoy what it offers and behave well, though some pupils are concerned about behaviour. From a gospel choir to the 'Green Club' which works on an allotment, almost all tastes are catered for, and the pupils join in enthusiastically in all these activities. They have some opportunities to contribute to the school and local community, for example in supporting local charities, and take these seriously. Pupils are positive about the school and think it has 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Rangefield Primary School, 9–10 March 2009

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Grade: 4

improved. Parents are generally satisfied with the school, have few concerns, and are also pleased with the improvements they have seen. One typical comment was, 'At last it is functioning properly.' They are pleased that they have easy access to the school, saying, 'Very warm welcome at the start of the day, staff are very helpful.'

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Grade: 4

Children start school with knowledge and skills in language and communication which are lower than expected for their age. They settle quickly into the Nursery and Reception classes and relate well to each other and to adults. The staff work hard to promote children's personal development, and by the end of Reception the children are confident and independent enough to cope with the rather more formal work of the National Curriculum. Children do not make enough progress in learning to read and write and, by the time they move to Year 1, their skills are well below expectations. Children make better progress in mathematics, in their knowledge and understanding of the world, and in creative and physical development, even though their knowledge and skills remain below expectations for their age. There is a reasonable balance of direct teaching and opportunities for children to learn through their own choice of play.

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Grade: 4

Monitoring of children's progress has resulted in staff realising that expectations for achievement have not been high enough, and they are starting to raise the level of challenge for the children. There were good examples of this in Reception in the work related to the baby clinic, and in the Nursery in the individual discussions about books, but opportunities are still being missed to extend children's language and literacy skills. The accommodation for Reception classes has been improved, and there are plans to upgrade the Nursery. The outdoor areas are, however, not very stimulating, and are not being used well enough to develop children's knowledge and skills. In Reception, children do not have enough opportunities to undertake challenging physical activities. The staffing of the Early Years Foundation Stage has gone through a period of instability and difficulty with, until recently, no clear leadership. The new action plans are,

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Grade: 4

however, clearly focused on improving the provision to benefit all children. The changes introduced, for example improved planning and resources, and the evidence of higher expectations, indicate satisfactory capacity to make the necessary improvements.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage to raise children's achievement, particularly their language and literacy skills. ■ Improve teaching to ensure consistently higher expectations of what pupils can achieve in English, particularly in writing, and in mathematics. ■ Ensure that teachers consistently use information about pupils' progress, marking and target setting to challenge them and to help them improve their work.

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Grade: 4

At the end of Year 2, standards in mathematics are below average, and they are low in reading and writing. In Key Stage 1, pupils make satisfactory progress in mathematics, but too little progress in English, particularly in writing. Progress in Key Stage 2 is improving but is still not good enough to make up for previous low achievement. Across the school, pupils' written work is poor in both quality and quantity. The more systematic teaching of reading and writing is beginning to improve literacy skills, particularly writing, though much more could be done in 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Rangefield Primary School, 9–10 March 2009 other subjects to provide opportunities for pupils to practise their reading and writing. In general, higher-attaining pupils, whatever their background or ethnic origin, tend to make better progress than other pupils. The progress of pupils with learning difficulties and/or

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Grade: 4

disabilities is much as expected in mathematics but below expectations in English.

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Grade: 3

Most pupils think they have fun in school and do good work. Their spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development is satisfactory, and pupils learn to respect other people's beliefs. They have a clear sense of right and wrong and of fairness. Pupils participate enthusiastically in the range of clubs and activities on offer. They understand about a healthy lifestyle and how to stay safe, but have some concerns about behaviour and bullying. Behaviour in lessons is generally good, but pupils do not always behave as well when they are not being as closely supervised. The school is working hard to ensure that any bullying is quickly and effectively dealt with. Surveys of parents show that they think their children enjoy school and that their children's views are taken seriously. Pupils are able to take responsibility in a number of ways, for example through the school council and as prefects, and generally take these responsibilities seriously.

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Grade: 3

They learn to work both independently and in groups, but weaknesses in literacy and numeracy skills mean that they are not well enough prepared for the next steps in their education. The school has put considerable effort into improving attendance and most children now attend regularly, but despite the hard work, a number of families remain to be convinced of the importance of regular attendance.

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Grade: 3

Teachers manage classes well and create a friendly and purposeful working atmosphere, so that pupils know how they are expected to behave and are generally motivated to take part. In an excellent mathematics lesson in Year 4, the high level of challenge in the questioning and the pace of work helped pupils to make rapid progress, but teachers' expectations of what pupils can achieve are variable. In most lessons, teachers match work to all pupils' needs, but opportunities are sometimes missed to raise the level of challenge in the work and to reinforce literacy and numeracy skills in other subjects. The marking of pupils' work gives them sound advice, but there is little evidence of pupils acting on it, or of teachers following up on comments. Teaching assistants provide appropriate support which enables pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities to join in whole-class activities.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum broadly meets pupils' needs and is improving. The school is developing the range of opportunities it offers to pupils and is working on making sure that all subjects contribute to raising pupils' achievement in basic skills, but this is at a fairly early stage. Specialist visiting teachers contribute to teaching in music and sport, and their work also helps develop other teachers' skills. Special events, like the very popular recent international week, help to develop pupils' understanding of the wider world. A variety of visitors brings expertise into the school and adds interest to lessons. Opportunities for pupils to undertake educational trips are 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Rangefield Primary School, 9–10 March 2009 good. In the last six months, the school has developed an impressive range of after-school clubs and activities that caters for all age ranges. All these experiences help to widen pupils'

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Grade: 3

horizons and raise their aspirations about what they could achieve.

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Grade: 3

Adults display a strong commitment to pupils' health, safety and well-being and know pupils very well. Pupils report that they feel safe in school and that they like their teachers. Parents' views also reflect these opinions. The school has rigorous procedures to ensure pupils' care and safety; for example, its risk assessments are carefully attended to. Considerable effort is put into improving attendance. The headteacher leads a daily 'walking bus' that is popular with parents and pupils, which has been so successful that a second 'bus' has now been started and attendance has improved. The school analyses pupils' achievement carefully by ethnicity, as well as in relation to learning difficulties and/or disabilities. It provides additional help where necessary but with variable impact. Good systems for assessing and tracking pupils' progress and setting targets have been introduced. Some teachers are using assessment information to

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Grade: 3

set challenging targets, but discussion with pupils confirmed that this is not consistent enough across the school. Pupils often do not understand exactly what they must do in order to reach their targets.

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Grade: 3

The last six months have seen radical changes in the way that the school is led and managed. The headteacher's dynamic leadership has inspired pupils, staff, governors and parents. She has not been afraid to take some difficult decisions, and has empowered many teachers to play their full part in the improvements that she has initiated. The headteacher's initial review of the school's strengths and weakness was very perceptive and formed the starting point for wide-ranging changes. The governing body has accepted the challenge posed by the weaknesses and understands the need to improve the school. The governors fully support the headteacher and her team in the implementation of the action plans. While they are ready to challenge the school, they lack the background knowledge to do this with confidence. The school's capacity for improvement, based on its recent track record, is at least satisfactory. The school

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Grade: 3

demonstrates a strong commitment to working in partnership with others and to improving community cohesion. Its contribution to the latter is good in most respects. A good understanding of the needs of the local community is starting to reap benefits in promoting better parental involvement. For example, the 'share' programme that runs every week to improve parents' skills has proved very popular. The curriculum helps to promote links further afield, and there are developing European links. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Rangefield Primary School, 9–10 March 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: Rangefield Primary School, 9–10 March 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?

4 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 4 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 3 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 4 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 4 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: Rangefield Primary School, 9–10 March 2009

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learners?

3 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 3 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 3 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 3 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 3 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 2 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: Rangefield Primary School, 9–10 March 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

20 April 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of Rangefield Primary School,Bromley,BR1 4RP Thank you for making us feel so welcome when we visited your school recently. We enjoyed talking to you and hearing what you think about the school. You told us how much you like your teachers, and that the school is getting better. Your school does lots of things well, but it is not doing as well as it should be, and there are things that need to be improved. We have given your school a 'Notice to Improve', which means that inspectors will come back to see that improvements are being made. Here are some of the things we liked about the school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You have opportunities to visit interesting places and to work with the many interesting people who come to visit the school. ■ There are lots of activities and clubs which you really enjoy and which help you to learn. We were particularly interested in the work of the 'Green Club'. ■ You behave well in lessons, and most of you get on well together.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your headteacher, staff and governors are working together to improve the school, and they are starting to make a difference. These are some of the things that could be improved.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You should be doing better in English and mathematics, so that by the time you leave you know and understand as much as most other children of your age. ■ Sometimes the work you are given is too easy, so your teachers need to give you work which really challenges you. ■ You do not always know how well you are doing or what you need to do to improve your work. ■ The youngest children in the school could also be making better progress, so that by the time they go into Year 1 they, too, know and understand as much as other children of their age. You can help by working hard and taking more notice of the advice you are given on how to improve your work. Some of you also need to make sure that you come to school every day. Yours faithfully Grace Marriott Lead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Rangefield Primary School, 9–10 March 2009

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