Manorfield Primary School

Manorfield Primary School Inspection report

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100920 Unique Reference Number Tower Hamlets Local Authority 323376 Inspection number 28–29 April 2009 Inspection dates Clive Lewis 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 486 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 Ms Aspasia Lioliou Chair Mr Marcus Earnshaw Headteacher 16 March 2006 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Wyvis Street School address London E14 6QD 020 7987 1623 Telephone number 020 7987 3476 Fax number

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3–11 Age group 28–29 April 2009 Inspection dates 323376 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: Manorfield Primary School, 28–29 April 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is a larger-than-average school with pupils drawn from a wide range of cultural and ethnic backgrounds. The school works under challenging circumstances. Currently, 80% of pupils are of minority ethnic origin and 65% of pupils speak English as an additional language, with many at a very early stage of learning it. Both these figures are very high. There are 14 home languages spoken in the school. Almost half of pupils are of Bangladeshi origin, a quarter are of unknown ethnicity and 14% are of White British origin. A larger proportion of pupils than is typical join or leave the school at times other than the usual points of entry. The percentage of pupils claiming free school meals is very high at 50%. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is broadly average. Most of these pupils have moderate learning difficulties. However, the percentage of pupils with a statement of special educational need is high. The

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Description of the school

school has a Nursery with 40 full-time children. The school has gained a number of awards including the Sportsmark and the Healthy School award.

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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: Manorfield Primary School, 28–29 April 2009

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Grade: 2

Manorfield Primary School is a good school which meets the needs of its learners well. Pupils clearly enjoy learning, behave well and speak with pride about the school. They enjoy coming to school, they learn how to be safe and take responsibility for themselves and others. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. More than one pupil said: 'I love school.' Pupils are encouraged to have a pride in themselves and all they do and become confident learners. Children get off to a good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage. However, the constant flux of pupils in Key Stages 1 and 2 has a negative impact on the school's overall results. Those pupils who remain in the school, however, progress well as they move up through the year groups. Standards are broadly average at the end of Year 2 and by the end of Year 6 in mathematics and science. However, standards in writing are below national averages and too

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Grade: 2

few pupils achieve the higher levels in English, mathematics and science. The school is aware of this issue and is working hard to raise standards and has introduced a number of promising initiatives designed to improve standards of writing throughout the school. The curriculum has improved since the last inspection and ensures that pupils of all ages receive a good variety of exciting activities and experiences through visits, visitors to the school and, where age-appropriate, residential visits. These activities in turn give pupils a lot to talk, think and write about. This is especially important as the majority of pupils enter the school with very low communication skills and a limited knowledge and understanding of the wider world. The leadership and management of the school are good. The school is well supported by a knowledgeable and active governing body. The staff want the best for each child and, through

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Grade: 2

working closely with families, strive successfully to achieve this goal. The school has worked hard to improve attendance, but although levels of attendance have improved as a result, there remains a persistent minority of pupils who do not attend regularly and continue to unduly depress the overall rate. The school's self-evaluation is accurate and demonstrates a good understanding of the complex issues the school faces in raising standards further. However, the school has accurately identified that its monitoring of the effectiveness of recently introduced initiatives is not careful enough. The arrangements for staff responsibilities have effectively energised and empowered middle managers, who work together very well as a team and are keen to improve standards in their subjects and areas of responsibility. Arrangements for the monitoring and evaluation of teaching and learning are good. Teaching is good overall,

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Grade: 2

although there are some inconsistencies between classes and years. The school works outstandingly well in partnership with others. Parents are very supportive of the school and are becoming more and more involved each year. One parent wrote: 'Manorfield is a wonderful school', and another wrote: 'My daughter loves going to school, she loves all the teachers and it makes me happy to see her so happy.' The school makes a good contribution to community cohesion through its good links with its own local community. It works hard to develop pupils' awareness of the range of cultures within the school and in the wider UK community and is actively working to extend this further by developing links with schools overseas. It has a good capacity to continue to improve. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Manorfield Primary School, 28–29 April 2009

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Grade: 2

Children's skills and knowledge are much lower than is usually expected for their age when children join the Nursery. English, for the great majority of children, is an additional language, and as a result they struggle initially to access some of the curriculum and to communicate to staff in English. Children often lack the social, personal and physical skills that are usually expected for their age. They generally lack self-confidence and need considerable help to ensure that they learn how to be independent. As children move through the Nursery and Reception classes, however, they make good progress because teaching and learning are good. There is a good focus on helping children with their speaking skills and ensuring that they develop an ability to work with others in a friendly and purposeful way. As a result, most children behave well and are enthusiastic in all that they do. Although children make good progress

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Grade: 2

from their very low levels of attainment on entry, overall standards remain below what is expected for their age when they enter Year 1. The partnership with parents and carers is strong and is further strengthened by home visits. The pastoral care and welfare arrangements are very effective. The happy and caring relationships contribute much to children settling in quickly and developing the confidence needed to make good progress in all areas of learning. As a consequence, children are safe, well cared for and aware of how to be healthy. The recently appointed Early Years Foundation Stage leader has had a very positive effect on the quality of provision, particularly in the Nursery. Leadership is now poised to make similar improvements to provision in the Reception classes, which has been somewhat restricted due to accommodation in temporary buildings during the current rebuild of the school. Adults provide a wide range of interesting learning activities, both inside and

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Grade: 2

outside the classrooms. These activities are carefully organised to allow children to work on things that they choose themselves as well as taking part in more formal group work activities with adults. Outdoor provision for Early Years Foundation Stage children is particularly well developed and resourced.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve standards in writing and ensure more pupils achieve the higher levels in English, mathematics and science. ■ Ensure that leadership and management monitor recently introduced initiatives carefully to make sure they are effective in bringing about improvement. ■ Explore new strategies to further improve attendance.

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Grade: 2

One third of the current Year 6 cohort did not start their formal education in this school. Information provided by the school demonstrates clearly, however, that pupils who start their education in the Reception class and remain in the school until the end of Year 6 make good progress. When children join the school in the Early Years Foundation Stage, their skills are significantly below what is typical for their age. Children make good progress due to good provision and teaching. Pupils make good progress in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, with the result that standards by the end of Year 6 are broadly average. Standards are improving due to improved and more stable teaching and secure and rigorous assessment and tracking procedures. However, fewer pupils than found nationally achieve the higher levels in English, 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Manorfield Primary School, 28–29 April 2009 mathematics and science in both Year 2 and Year 6 and standards in writing are particularly

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Grade: 2

low. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities achieve well and pupils who are just beginning to learn English make good progress.

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Grade: 2

'This is a great school because there are so many children from different parts of the world for you to learn and play with' was how one pupil described the school. This was evident in the quality of relationships seen in lessons and the playground. Pupils from all backgrounds get on well together and respect and value their differences. They say that bullying is rare and if unexpected issues do arise, there is always an adult to help them. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. They are friendly, polite and helpful. The school has gained the Healthy School award and, as a result, pupils have a good understanding of the need to live a healthy lifestyle. They understand the dangers of harmful substances including cigarettes. Pupils enjoy school and say that teachers make learning fun. 'I absolutely love maths,' was how one pupil described her lessons. The school has worked hard to improve attendance, although

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Grade: 2

there remains a persistent small minority of families who do not ensure that their child attends school regularly and on time. Pupils have a good awareness of the school and the local community. The school council operates a budget which is used to bring about changes that they have identified through discussion with their classmates. This helps them to develop financial skills and enterprise which, with their good achievement, prepares them well for their future.

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Grade: 2

Although there are some inconsistencies in teaching across the school, teaching and learning are good overall and enable the pupils to make good progress. A number of outstanding lessons were observed during the inspection. Some lessons lack pace and this occasionally leads to pupils losing interest. Good relationships with adults allow the pupils to develop their confidence and self esteem. Good use is made of 'talk partners' throughout the school so that pupils have many opportunities to discuss their views. The school is identifying further opportunities to develop speaking and listening through questioning and discussion. Lessons are well managed with teachers demonstrating good control of their pupils. Work is well planned with tasks set at different levels for pupils of different abilities. Teachers are very enthusiastic and work together well to support each other, reinforce planning and share ideas. They make good use

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Grade: 2

of technology to stimulate pupils' thoughts and learning. The school has an effective policy and programme for supporting their more-able pupils.

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Grade: 2

The school provides a broad and balanced curriculum which is well planned to meet the needs and interests of all pupils. Provision for art and music is particularly strong and the school has been awarded the Sports Mark for the quality of its physical education provision. Pupils sing enthusiastically and really enjoy their dance and drama lessons. The quality of art is very high with opportunities for pupils to develop their skills in painting, drawing and model-making. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Manorfield Primary School, 28–29 April 2009 Planning for literacy and numeracy centres on developing thinking skills and this is encouraging pupils to become more independent in their learning. The school realises that the recently introduced creative approach to learning has not had enough time to become embedded across the school. The basic curriculum is enhanced by a wide range of visitors to the school to talk

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Grade: 2

about their work. Pupils have opportunities to visit local places of interest and take part in residential visits to help them to develop initiative, teamwork and social skills. The wide range of extra-curricular activities enables pupils to play together and to develop outside interests such as sport, art, dance and information and communication technology.

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Grade: 2

Staff have created a positive environment in which each child is valued for the particular contribution they bring to the school. Pastoral care for pupils is excellent and is a strength of the school. All adults know pupils well, and because of this pupils feel well supported and looked after in school. All procedures for safeguarding pupils are in place and arrangements for child protection are secure. Assessment systems are used effectively to track pupils' personal and academic progress. This ensures that the needs of more vulnerable pupils are identified at the earliest stage so that intervention strategies can be put into place. Pupils receive feedback on how well they are doing and say they feel well informed. As a result of a recent whole-school focus, teachers' marking is thorough and up to date, although it does not consistently tell pupils what the next steps in learning are.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good, which contributes significantly to the progress made by pupils. The headteacher manages the school well and has developed a strong team of teaching and non-teaching staff around him to support the work of the school. Self-evaluation is good. The senior management of the school has a good understanding of its strengths and weaknesses and is committed to improving provision further. However, not all of the recently introduced initiatives are being monitored carefully enough to ensure they are effective in bringing about improvement. Governors fulfil their statutory duties, are supportive and challenge the headteacher and the school to achieve well. School improvement is supported by thorough observations of teaching by top and middle management. Leadership and management are effectively distributed among staff, allowing subject and phase leaders to contribute effectively

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Grade: 2

and to develop their own confidence and leadership ability. Community cohesion is strong. The school has a wide range of effective programmes for reaching out and supporting the community, including workshops for parents and an excellent and innovative scheme to develop the ambitions of Bangladeshi mothers and their daughters. However, the school is keen to encourage more parents to take an active part in their children's learning within the school. The school has a good recent track record of improvements and the inspectors agree with staff that it has a good capacity to improve further. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Manorfield Primary School, 28–29 April 2009 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Manorfield Primary School, 28–29 April 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? 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? 3 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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Manorfield Primary School, 28–29 April 2009

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learners?

2 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 2 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 3 The attendance of learners 2 The behaviour of learners 2 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 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? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Manorfield Primary School, 28–29 April 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

13 May 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of Manorfield Primary School,London,E14 6QD I would like to thank you for your help during the recent inspection of your school. My colleagues and I very much enjoyed our visit. Manorfield is a good school. Your headteacher and staff are leading the school well. They care for you very well and give you good support to enable you to learn and enjoy your lessons. They make sure that you understand how to look after yourselves and keep safe and you do this well. You told us that you really like your school and there are lots of things to do and enjoy. We agree with you. Your behaviour is good. You work hard and try to succeed in all that you do. I have asked your school to do a few things to make it even better:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Help you all to do better with your writing and help more of you to gain the higher levels in English, mathematics and science. ■ Make sure that any changes the school makes to the work they give you really do lead to improvements. ■ Try even harder to make sure all of you attend school regularly and arrive on time each day.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Yours faithfully Clive Lewis Lead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Manorfield Primary School, 28–29 April 2009

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