Cromer Road Primary School

Cromer Road Primary School Inspection report

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101272 Unique Reference Number Barnet Local Authority 323435 Inspection number 19 September 2008 Inspection date Mike Thompson 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 5–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 407 School (total) 58 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 Tony Vourou Chair Ms Helen Schmitz Headteacher 22 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 Cromer Road School address New Barnet Barnet EN5 5HT 020 8449 3492 Telephone number 020 8440 0580 Fax number

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5–11 Age group 19 September 2008 Inspection date 323435 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 9 Inspection Report: Cromer Road Primary School, 19 September 2008

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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

■ How effective is the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provision?

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Introduction

■ How effective are procedures to ensure good behaviour?

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Introduction

■ How effective is the academic guidance provided for pupils?

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Introduction

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. The inspectors did not investigate other aspects of the school's work in detail. Where the inspectors found no evidence to suggest that the school's own assessments, as given in its self-evaluation, were not justified, these have been included where appropriate in this report.

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Description of the school

Cromer Road is a large primary school. The school population is culturally diverse; however, the majority of pupils, comprising almost two-thirds of the roll, are of White British heritage. Although about one in six pupils has English as an additional language, there are few in the early stages of learning English. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities (LDD) is broadly average. The needs of these pupils are wide-ranging, and include specific learning difficulties, such as dyslexia, and behavioural, emotional and social difficulties. The school has the Active Mark accreditation for its commitment to promoting physical exercise and school sport, and has Healthy School status. The school's provision for the EYFS comprises the Foundation Unit for children of Reception age.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 9 Inspection Report: Cromer Road Primary School, 19 September 2008

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Grade: 3

Cromer Road Primary provides a satisfactory education for its pupils. Its strengths lie in the good teaching and curriculum, which result in pupils achieving well academically and attaining standards that are consistently above, or well above, the national averages in English, mathematics and science by the time they leave at the end of Year 6. Parents have widely differing views of the school. Just over half of those who returned their inspection questionnaires were largely positive about all aspects of the school's work, and some appended appreciative comments. One parent accurately summarised the situation found by inspectors when commenting, 'There are the makings of a good school, with good leadership by the headteacher who has done many good things, such as bringing in numerous extra-curricular activities'. However, other parents were largely negative and highly critical about the standards of behaviour and the school's partnership with parents.

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Grade: 3

In response to parents' concerns, inspectors looked closely at the standards of behaviour. They found that in lessons and in closely supervised situations, such as when pupils move around the school or go into and out of assembly, behaviour is most often good. This reflects well on teachers' generally good skills in managing their pupils. Pupils' good behaviour in lessons contributes to the good learning that takes place. However, in less structured situations, such as at lunchtime and at morning break, a small yet significant minority of pupils lack sufficient self-control and do not display enough consideration towards others. This poor behaviour sometimes goes unnoticed and unchecked by the adults present. The pupils report that most of their classmates are considerate and generally behave well, but instances of unacceptable behaviour by a small minority remain a regular occurrence. The school is aware of this and has

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Grade: 3

recently appointed a learning mentor as part of a strategy to improve matters. However, the impact of this initiative is not yet evident. The school prides itself on its caring and inclusive ethos and, for example in the one-to-one help provided for pupils with learning difficulties, this is often the case. One parent commented: 'Teaching and welfare staff are kind and helpful in dealing with children who have medical conditions or emotional problems'. The school is also good at providing intensive support for pupils to ensure that they meet and, in some cases exceed, the nationally expected levels by the end of Year 6. This targeting of pupils, together with good teaching contributes to the more rapid progress made by pupils towards the end of Key Stage 2 and the school's above average performance in the national tests. Another factor underpinning the pupils' academic performance is the good quality guidance provided by teachers. This is evident in examples of

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Grade: 3

marking of pupils' work and in the ways in which teachers' effective dialogue with their pupils in lessons helps clarify points that pupils find difficult to understand. This good quality help enables pupils with LDD to make good progress. However, some of the procedures relating to the day-to-day care of pupils, such as the quality of supervision at playtimes, the record-keeping relating to safeguarding documentation, and staff awareness of requirements lack rigour. Attendance has improved since the last inspection. The broadly average attendance rate illustrates pupils' satisfactory attitudes towards their education. They show a reasonable appreciation of the importance of healthy lifestyles and of how to keep safe, and are satisfactorily prepared for a future as life-long learners. Pupils appreciate the good range of activities provided for them and the ways in which teachers try to make the curriculum more

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Grade: 3

interesting through visits to places of interest or by inviting visitors to the school to share their 4 of 9 Inspection Report: Cromer Road Primary School, 19 September 2008 expertise. Pupils and staff greatly enjoyed the fundraising 'Pirate' theme on the day of inspection, and donated the money raised to Great Ormond Street Hospital. Senior managers have successfully improved the school in many ways since its last inspection. The quality of the buildings leaves much to be desired, and is under review by the local authority. The weaknesses in systems relating to the care and welfare of pupils and the lack of confidence in the school expressed by a significant number of parents mean that leadership cannot be judged as any better than satisfactory. This lack of confidence stems not only from concerns about inconsistencies in managing pupils' behaviour, but also from a perception that managers are not as effective as they should be in responding to concerns expressed by parents,

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Grade: 3

communicating with them and involving them in the development of policies and practices. However, a number of parents were appreciative of the friendliness and day-to-day accessibility of teachers. Despite senior managers' clear understanding of the school's strengths and weaknesses and the school's good academic provision and performance, the lack of a secure partnership with all parents means that at present the school has only a satisfactory capacity to improve further.

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Grade: 2

The headteacher has been the driving force behind the improvements made in provision for the Foundation Unit. Good leadership of the unit ensures that from broadly average starting points, children make good progress. By the time they transfer to Key Stage 1, most achieve the goals expected of them. This occurs because the teachers have a very secure understanding of how very young children learn and provide children with exciting activities that capture their interest and help make learning fun. An important factor in ensuring that good learning takes place is the dialogue between adults and children. Staff are skilled in using questions to make children think and in explaining new learning very clearly. However, they sometimes miss opportunities to improve the quality of children's spoken responses by modelling good speech. Among the outstanding features of provision are the safe and caring environment and the very

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Grade: 2

clear focus placed on each individual's learning needs. A new 'key worker' system, designed to improve the already good quality of assessment and academic guidance is not yet fully embedded and has yet to make an impact on children's achievement.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve procedures relating to the day-to-day care and welfare of pupils. In particular, ensure greater consistency in managing pupils' behaviour at play. ■ Improve the partnership with parents through better communication and consultation.

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What the school should do to improve further

A small proportion of the schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory but which have areas of underperformance will receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Cromer Road Primary School, 19 September 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. 6 of 9 Inspection Report: Cromer Road Primary School, 19 September 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? 3 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. 7 of 9 Inspection Report: Cromer Road Primary School, 19 September 2008

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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 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 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? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 8 of 9 Inspection Report: Cromer Road Primary School, 19 September 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

02 October 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Cromer Road Primary School,Barnet,EN5 5HT I would like to thank you very much for being so helpful when your inspectors came to visit your school. We really enjoyed meeting you. We think that your school is satisfactory overall, with some things that are good. Here are some of the things we liked best about your school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Children in the Foundation Unit get a good start to their education.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ When you leave at the end of Year 6, your results are often above average. You should be proud of this. ■ You often learn well in lessons because your teachers teach you well.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You have lots of interesting things to do in school time, and a good range of other activities such as sports to do after school. ■ When you need help with your work or have a problem, your teachers do their best to help you. We were pleased to see how well almost all of you behave. However, we were disappointed to find that a few of you do not always obey the rules. When this happens, these pupils cause a lot of upset. We would like the school to do something about this by making sure that all adults keep a very careful lookout for bad behaviour, and apply the rules fairly and in the same way for everyone, particularly at playtimes. To help the school look after you well at all times, it also needs to improve staff skills and some of the records it has to keep. Many of your parents told us that they would like to know more about what the school is doing to help you learn and would like to work with the school to help make it better than it is so that you all enjoy it

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

more. We think that this is a very good idea. We wish you lots of success in the future. Yours sincerely, Mike Thompson Lead Inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Cromer Road Primary School, 19 September 2008

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