Malorees Primary School

Malorees Infant School Inspection report

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101507 Unique Reference Number Brent Local Authority 323469 Inspection number 3 July 2009 Inspection date Sue Rogers 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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Infant Type of school Community School category 3–7 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 215 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 Ellie Port-Rose Chair Ms Sian Davies Headteacher 20 June 2006 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Christchurch Avenue School address London NW6 7PB 020 8459 3038 Telephone number 020 8451 9829 Fax number

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3–7 Age group 3 July 2009 Inspection date 323469 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: Malorees Infant School, 3 July 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two additional inspectors who evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following areas:

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Introduction

■ the quality of teaching and learning, and improvements in these since the last inspection

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Introduction

■ the impact of improvement work done by subject leaders, especially in reading, writing, mathematics, and information and communication technology ■ the quality of pupils' personal development and the school's provision for their care, guidance and support, including work done on improving attendance. They gathered evidence from lesson observations, examination of pupils' work, school documents, parents' responses to questionnaires and discussions with pupils, governors and staff. Other aspects of the school's work were not investigated in detail. Nevertheless, 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

Malorees is an average-sized inner city infant school. Pupils come from a variety of backgrounds and the proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is above the national average. Compared with national averages, just over two thirds of pupils come from minority ethnic backgrounds, which is a very high proportion. The proportion of pupils who require extra support with their lessons is also above average. Over half the pupils need help with English when they arrive at the school as it is not their first language. The largest groups of pupils with special needs have emotional and/or behavioural problems or moderate learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The school holds a range of external chartermarks including the Basic Skills Quality Mark 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 9 Inspection Report: Malorees Infant School, 3 July 2009

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Grade: 2

This is a good school with a delightful atmosphere. Learners thrive, making good progress in their academic work and doing outstandingly well in their personal development. Pupils report that there is nothing that they do not like about the school and parents are overwhelmingly complimentary. One said of their child, for example, 'I am blown away by his enthusiasm.' Pupils enter Year 1 working at levels that are broadly average compared to national expectations. They make good progress to reach above-average standards in reading, writing and mathematics by the time they leave Year 2. Standards in writing have been consistently high, while those in reading and mathematics have fluctuated a little, though always remaining above average. The progress made by individual children is tracked very well, so that necessary interventions are put in place. Support staff are utilised effectively and pupils who are behind with their work

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Grade: 2

or have behaviour problems make equally good progress. Several parents went out of their way to reinforce this view, with one supportive comment saying, 'Malorees Infants has made a huge positive difference to this child's life.' All pupils make good progress because teaching is consistently good. Teachers have excellent relationships with the learners in their classes and consequently behaviour is outstanding. Staff provide a very lively and well-designed curriculum that captures pupils' interests through the use of themes such as 'Explorers'. As a result, pupils are motivated to persevere and they work well independently and harmoniously with each other. Teachers work hard to ensure that pupils have challenging targets and know the next steps in their learning. They reinforce this through detailed marking, but are not yet consistent in explaining to learners how they can transfer the skills they have learned to other contexts and consolidate them.

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Grade: 2

Learners are exceptionally well cared for. They report that they feel very safe. They talk enthusiastically about the usefulness of pupil playground helpers and know that they can tell their teachers about their problems. They also say that they feel good being members of the school council and enjoy sorting out problems and helping other people, including collecting for several charities. The school has successfully evaluated the impact of community cohesion on its own community and beyond. Pupils with disabilities are very well provided and cared for. Learners have excellent opportunities to reflect on their own lives and to learn about the cultures of others. The Healthy School award testifies to pupils' excellent knowledge about health. This is partly developed by the delicious food, based on recipes from other countries, which they are served at lunchtimes. It is also supported by a good range of sporting activities

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Grade: 2

and clubs. Their good basic skills, reflected in the school's charter mark and ability to collaborate mean that learners are well prepared for the next stages in their education. The headteacher is well thought of by parents and has built a stable and cooperative team around her. Leaders are very keen to move the school from good to outstanding. They have achieved outstanding personal development for pupils and have maintained consistently good progress in basic skills. Leaders monitor systematically, collect useful assessment data and make accurate evaluations. Nevertheless, their analysis of all this information is not yet incisive enough for them to know exactly where the school needs to focus, to attain outstanding teaching and learning. Subject leaders have a broad brush picture, but do not have improvement targets that are easily measurable. The school has worked hard to improve attendance. They

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Grade: 2

have been successful in reducing the number of persistent absentees, but despite all their best efforts attendance remains broadly average. The school makes excellent use of its partnerships 4 of 9 Inspection Report: Malorees Infant School, 3 July 2009 with other schools and outside agencies to support its work. Good leadership and the effective support of the governing body show that it is well placed to get even better.

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Grade: 2

Children begin school in the Nursery and Reception classes with skills and knowledge that are broadly in line with those that would be expected of three- and four-year-olds. They settle in quickly because of an excellent induction programme that includes parent interviews and home visits. Well-planned activities keep children interested and ensure that they enjoy school. As one parent commented, echoing the views of many, 'My child loves school. He runs into class and comes out beaming.' Particular emphasis is laid on developing speaking and listening effectively, especially for non-English speakers. The relatively new programme designed to teach children their letter sounds has been successful. For instance, children were seen enthusiastically searching for and reading words in the school's 'Orchard' area. As a result, the majority of children make good progress and some have exceeded the expected progress in

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Grade: 2

the six areas of learning when they leave the Reception class. The Early Years Foundation Stage leader and team make sure that children are exceptionally well cared for and that teachers collect useful assessment information. This enables staff to plan the next steps in children's learning. The school recognises that assessment information has not always been based on secure evidence in the past and it is working to build up a robust evidence base, so as to better analyse the strengths and areas for development in provision.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure that teachers give pupils the 'bigger picture' so that they can transfer their learning to other contexts and consolidate their skills. ■ Ensure that information on pupils' progress is analysed incisively, so that the school has an accurate picture of its areas for development and can set measurable targets for improvement. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Malorees Infant School, 3 July 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. 6 of 9 Inspection Report: Malorees Infant School, 3 July 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? 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

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: Malorees Infant School, 3 July 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 3 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 3 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? 8 of 9 Inspection Report: Malorees Infant School, 3 July 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

16 July 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of Malorees Infant School,London,NW6 7PB Thank you very much for helping us when we visited your school. We greatly enjoyed talking to you and seeing you learning. Special thanks to the School Council for finding time in their lunch hour to meet with us. We were very pleased to hear how much you enjoy school. We agree with you that Malorees is a good school. You do well in your lessons and outstandingly in your personal development. This is because you all get on together and the staff care for you, making you feel safe and happy. The headteacher and teachers work very hard and the teaching is good. You were keen to tell us how much fun you have in lessons. We were very happy to see that you learn to keep very fit and you know a great deal about health. We also really enjoyed trying your delicious school lunches! We were very interested, too, in hearing about the many ways in which you

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

enjoy helping others and collecting for charities. Most things about your school are already good. However, we also feel there are areas that you could work on improving. We would like you to make even better progress in lessons. To help with this, the leaders in your school need to set clearer (sharper) targets for school improvement to help you. We would also like the teachers to help you understand exactly how you will be able to use your skills more broadly in your future learning, so that you can better understand why you are learning things. You can play your part by working hard and making sure that you always come to school unless you are ill. We hope that these things will help to improve your school even further and that you will be more able to use your learning to help you in all areas of your life. Yours faithfully Sue Rogers Lead Inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Malorees Infant School, 3 July 2009

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