Hague Primary School

100903 Unique Reference Number Tower Hamlets Local Authority 323372 Inspection number 2 December 2008 Inspection date Charalambos Loizou 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 225 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 Daniel Senior Chair Mrs Judy Coles Headteacher 30 November 2005 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Wilmot Street School address London E2 0BP 020 7739 9574 Telephone number 020 7613 3139 Fax number

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3–11 Age group 2 December 2008 Inspection date 323372 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 10 Inspection Report: Hague Primary School, 2 December 2008

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Introduction

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

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Introduction

■ The impact of leadership and the consistency of the teaching on improving standards, particularly in mathematics. ■ The extent to which assessment throughout the school and the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is used to set targets and to track the achievement of the pupils of all backgrounds and abilities. ■ The extent to which pupils understand and assess their own learning.

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Introduction

Evidence was gathered from lesson observations, work in books, the analysis of test results, teachers' assessments and records of pupils' performance, as well as parents' responses to questionnaires and discussions with pupils, staff and governors. 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

Hague is a primary school of average size situated in an area of significant ethnic and cultural diversity. It has a Nursery for three-year-olds who all attend part-time for either morning or afternoon sessions. Four-year-old children attend the Reception class full-time with more children due to join the class in January 2009. The Nursery and the Reception classes comprise the school's EYFS. The school also has a special unit which admits up to 16 pupils who are deaf or partially hearing. All the pupils in the unit have a statement of special educational need and are fully integrated with other pupils in addition to receiving specialist support from qualified staff. Throughout the school the vast majority of pupils are of Bangladeshi heritage. A small number come from other minority ethnic backgrounds. Compared with other schools, a high proportion of pupils join the school in the very early stages of learning English. The proportion

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Description of the school

of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is high compared with most schools. The main areas of need are in speech and language, or specific learning difficulties and/or hearing impairment. The school has accreditation for the Financial Management Standard in Schools.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 10 Inspection Report: Hague Primary School, 2 December 2008

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Grade: 2

Hague is a good school. Pupils demonstrate enthusiasm for all that the staff offer them. Pupils of all backgrounds and abilities achieve well so that standards are above those expected by the time they leave at the end of Year 6. The school is a thriving community that is securely based on respect for different beliefs and cultures, and this underpins its strong sense of community cohesion and excellent racial harmony. The staff are very committed to the pupils' all round development and have established outstanding partnerships with parents and the local and wider community. Children throughout the EYFS get off to a good start, both socially and academically. A skilled EYFS staff team provide good teaching, support and care so all the children achieve well from low starting points. The teaching is good throughout the school, and combined with good and effective leadership and management, enables the pupils to achieve well. Standards by the end

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Grade: 2

of Year 2 are below average in reading, writing and mathematics, but this represents good progress. National test results for 2008 show that Year 6 pupils reach above-average standards in English and science, representing very good rates of progress because of some outstanding teaching in Key Stage 2. The teaching of letter sounds (phonics) is effective across all classes so pupils develop their reading skills consistently well. There are good opportunities for pupils to practise a wide range of descriptive and imaginative writing and poetry, giving them confidence to write at length independently. Pupils learning English as an additional language are very well supported, helping them to engage in conversation and explain their ideas. There is highly effective and skilled support for pupils who are deaf or partially hearing and many parents have paid tribute to the commitment of the specialist staff who work with these pupils.

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Grade: 2

The strong leadership of the headteacher and deputy headteacher has encouraged both staff and governors to accurately assess the impact of the school's work on the pupils. This has led to good improvements since the last inspection. Both governors and staff engage in a thorough analysis of pupils' performance using robust assessments of their progress. Even so, the significant improvements to standards and pupils' performance in English and science are not yet replicated in mathematics. Although mathematics standards are in line with those expected by the end of Year 6, they should be higher because fewer pupils reach or exceed the levels expected compared with standards attained in English and science. The consistent opportunities for pupils to investigate and explore challenging tasks in science, and the stimulating writing tasks in English, result in good rates of progress. However, similar opportunities are missed in

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Grade: 2

mathematics lessons to extend pupils' learning with tasks that challenge and build on what they already know and understand. The curriculum is good with outstanding enrichment that broadens pupils' experiences beyond the classroom. The East End project is one of many excellent examples of special topics that take the pupils into their local London community to learn about its history, cultures and customs. There are excellent partnerships with other organisations. For example, pupils in Year 6 returned to school full of enthusiasm, one stating, 'That was brilliant!', after visiting one of the school's local business partners as part of a stimulating reading and literacy project. The senior management team has devised a well-judged programme of training that has led to significant improvements to curriculum-planning and assessment. The staff value pupils' efforts and this is reflected in the high quality and wide range of displays of pupils' work. Lessons are

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Grade: 2

planned carefully to ensure that staff are appropriately deployed to support pupils with specific learning difficulties or physical disabilities, including hearing impairments. In most lessons, 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Hague Primary School, 2 December 2008 teachers provide good opportunities for pupils to share ideas with their classmates and talk partners. There is, however, scope to provide more opportunities for pupils to reflect on their work, explain ideas and assess their own learning. Pupils are provided with learning targets that are clearly displayed on walls and in workbooks. Teachers are good at explaining the success criteria to help pupils understand what they have to do to achieve the key objectives of lessons. Even so, targets are often too broad and lack detailed, manageable steps for pupils to work towards or engage in self-assessment so they can check how well they are achieving their

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Grade: 2

targets. The staff provide good care, guidance and support that contribute significantly to pupils' outstanding personal development. There are excellent opportunities for pupils to contribute to their community and learn about a wide range of customs and religions through the celebration of major world festivals such as, for example, Eid ul-Fitr, Eid ul-Adha, Christmas and Diwali. The school helps pupils to support the wider community through fundraising and improving information for tourists to London using maps to highlight key attractions for them to visit. A wide range of extra-curricular clubs, health and safety projects and topics, as well as sporting activities, add interest and enjoyment to learning. Combined with healthy lunches, these contribute to pupils' good understanding of how to stay healthy and safe. Good use is made of information and communication technology (ICT) to support pupils' learning, although

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Grade: 2

some ICT resources are in need of repair or improvement. Governors make a good contribution to the school and its community, marking a significant improvement to their role in holding the school to account. Together with the highly effective senior leadership team, governors continually seek parents' views and keep them well informed. As one parent wrote, reflecting the views of most who returned questionnaires, 'There are loads of opportunities for parents to get involved and the staff are friendly and helpful.' Pupils' views are also sought and their involvement as school councillors and class monitors enables them, along with their parents, to play a part in helping the school to develop. One pupil rightly commented, 'This school is really good at helping us to learn English and there are so many fun things to do.' The school's capacity to keep on improving is good.

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Grade: 2

The children develop their confidence, self-esteem and communication skills well and the overall EYFS provision is well managed. Children join the school with skills and abilities that are well below those expected of three- and four-year-olds. They make good progress towards the learning goals expected because the teaching and quality of care are good in both the Nursery and Reception classes. Although the children do not reach the standards expected of five-year-olds, they have made significant gains in their language and communication, personal and social skills, so that the foundations for learning and future well-being in school are firmly established by the time they start Year 1. Children enjoy indoor and outdoor activities, such as exploring the arctic role play area or working in 'the workshop' to engage in cutting and sticking activities. A skilled staff team are good at helping the children to develop early language skills,

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Grade: 2

and the children's rate of progress in communication, language and literacy is particularly impressive as the vast majority are in the early stages of learning English. Teachers' planning successfully incorporates interesting and stimulating tasks which have a positive impact on developing the children's reading, writing, problem-solving, reasoning and numeracy skills. The children thrive on the opportunities to explore the outdoor areas safely. When using climbing apparatus, they explore spaces and experiment through trial and error to negotiate how best 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Hague Primary School, 2 December 2008 to follow pathways and routes, helping them to improve their physical development and awareness of the world around them. Accurate assessments of children's progress, performance and welfare are maintained and these help to inform parents how well their children are doing. There is scope to improve opportunities for the children to reflect on their learning and provide

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Grade: 2

them with questions that continually challenge and extend their thinking and ideas.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve achievement in mathematics to match those in English and science.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Provide more opportunities for pupils to reflect on and assess their own learning. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Hague Primary School, 2 December 2008 .

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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: Hague Primary School, 2 December 2008

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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? 2 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? 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

2 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 2 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: Hague Primary School, 2 December 2008

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learners?

1 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 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? 2 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 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 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: Hague Primary School, 2 December 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

12 December 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Hague Primary School,London,E2 0BP You made the inspectors feel very welcome when we visited your school. Yours is a good school. You all work very hard with your teachers and we agree with the many parents who say that your school is a good place to learn and play. The work on display around the school and in your classrooms is lovely - well done. We particularly enjoyed reading your stories and accounts of special topics like the East End project. There are many good things about your school so it is hard for us to pick out the very best. However, these are just a few of the ones that pleased us most.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You are extremely well behaved, polite and considerate and say that any bullying is dealt with very well by the staff. ■ Your teachers are good at helping you improve your reading, writing and science work.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You enjoy school and we can see why. There are lots of interesting things to do and extra clubs and sports like cricket, football and basketball. ■ Your parents are very pleased with the way the staff work very closely with them and with the local community. ■ The staff take good care of you and make sure you are all safe and happy.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Those of you who are deaf or partially hearing do very well and the inspectors were very impressed with the work that the specialist staff do to help you. ■ The headteacher, deputy headteacher and governors manage the school well.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ help you all do better with your mathematics work

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ provide you with more opportunities to check your own work and how well you are moving towards meeting your learning targets. Well done, keep trying hard and behaving well, as well as making sure you continue to improve your impressive attendance rates to help your school to even greater things. We wish you all the very best. Yours sincerely Charalambos Loizou Lead Inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Hague Primary School, 2 December 2008

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