Churchfields Primary SchoolOfsted inspection, 21 Jan 2009

Churchfields Primary School Inspection report

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101589 Unique Reference Number Bromley Local Authority 323481 Inspection number 20–21 January 2009 Inspection dates Sheena MacDonald HMI 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 288 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 Stuart Roberts Chair Mr Tom Hyndley Headteacher 28 September 2005 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Churchfields Road School address Beckenham BR3 4QY 020 8650 5247 Telephone number 020 8663 3383 Fax number

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3–11 Age group 20–21 January 2009 Inspection dates 323481 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: Churchfields Primary School, 20–21 January 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one of Her Majesty's Inspectors and two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Churchfields is just above the average size for a primary school. The school provides for younger children in the early years foundation stage (EYFS) in a part-time Nursery, and for older children in a Reception class. It has a special provision unit for up to 27 pupils with severe and complex learning difficulties and/or disabilities. As a result, there are much higher than average numbers of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities including a very high number with statements of special educational needs. Pupils come from a diverse mix of ethnic backgrounds, mainly White British but with a quarter from a wide range of other ethnic groups. Higher than average numbers of pupils join the school other than at the beginning of Reception or Nursery. The school provides a breakfast club.

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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: Churchfields Primary School, 20–21 January 2009

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Grade: 2

Churchfields is a good school. The strengths in pupils' personal development and in the school's care, guidance and support are well established. Visitors often comment, quite rightly, on the cheerfulness, politeness and good behaviour of the pupils. Relationships are good between, as one pupil put it, 'people of all sizes'! The school is well led and managed and there is much sharper focus now on academic achievement, and, while pupils continue to thrive personally, the academic standards they reach are rising and progress is good. Parents and pupils are overwhelmingly enthusiastic about the school. The sharper focus on achievement, better use and accuracy of assessment information and improved quality of teaching and learning have resulted in rising standards. The past two years have seen a rising trend of improvement throughout the school. Attainment is still below average at the end of Year 2 but, by the time pupils leave at the end of Year 6, attainment is

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Grade: 2

much closer to national averages. This represents good progress from their low starting points. Pupils achieve less well in writing than in other subjects with boys achieving much less well than girls. Boys also achieve less well at the higher levels than girls do. Good teaching and learning contribute to the pupils' enjoyment of school and their improving attainment. Teachers plan well-organised lessons with varied activities designed to keep pupils active and interested. This is underpinned by a good and improving curriculum. Activities are targeted to match the different needs and abilities of pupils, although some pupils occasionally have work that is too hard or too easy for them. The skilled intervention of support staff enables less able pupils, including those in the unit classes, to make good progress. However, sometimes the challenge for more able pupils is not high enough when teachers' expectations are too low.

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Grade: 2

Pupils show respect and concern for others, are keen to take on responsibilities and do their part to make the school a harmonious place. All aspects of personal development are good except for one major area. The school has a continuing problem with lower-than-average attendance, and despite some well-targeted strategies and some mitigating factors, absence levels remain too high. The headteacher has valued and maintained the strong aspects of personal development and care seen during the last inspection and has sharpened the focus on raising attainment and progress. He has built a strong and enthusiastic leadership team who share a clear sense of direction and good understanding of the strengths of the school and priorities for improvement. However, not enough is done to share good practice in teaching, in order to improve its quality and consistency. Governors provide good support and challenge. Improvements in the quality

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Grade: 2

of education and the rising trend in attainment mean that the school has good capacity to improve.

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Grade: 2

Children in the Nursery and Reception classes thrive in a happy, exciting environment where individual needs are well met. Many parents commented on how successful the induction arrangements were in helping their children to settle quickly and happily. Improvements in the quality of provision are reflected in a new situation facing the school. For the first time the Nursery and Reception classes are oversubscribed. Teachers and support staff work well as a team, ensuring pupils' safety and well-being. They also plan the learning across the classes, 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Churchfields Primary School, 20–21 January 2009 including the unit class, to ensure continuity. All staff contribute to the assessment of children's learning and personal development through careful observation and questioning. Assessments at the end of the Reception class show an improving trend. Consequently, in recent years pupils

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Grade: 2

have been entering Key Stage 1 with skills still slightly below average but having made increasingly good progress. Where weaknesses are identified, appropriate steps are taken to tackle them. For example, the consistent use of the letters and sounds phonics approach is enabling children to make good progress in both their reading and writing. Boy-friendly topics are used well to encourage boys to develop their writing skills, such as having to making their own 'driving licences' before being allowed on the bikes. Provision is well planned to make the most of learning opportunities both inside and outside and there are good links across the learning to make sure it is meaningful and interesting. The post of EYFS leader was established at the beginning of this academic year and some of the improvements are relatively new. As a result, although the pace of improvement has been rapid, some developments have not had

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Grade: 2

time to embed and fully achieve their potential.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Raise standards in writing, particularly the achievement of boys.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Raise teachers' expectations so that they provide more challenge for all pupils, particularly the more able. ■ Use the best practice seen in the school to support and develop all teaching so that more is good and outstanding. ■ Improve attendance.

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Grade: 2

Until this year, pupils joined the school with skills that were on average below those expected nationally and particularly low in communication, language and literacy. There has been a rise in standards on entry, which is partly due to the increasing popularity of the Nursery. For the past two years, there has been a strong trend of improvement across the school and, although overall standards are still just below average, pupils are making good and improving progress. In 2008 the provisional test results indicate that the standards achieved by Year 6 pupils in the mainstream class were above average. Pupils who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those from different ethnic groups make the same good progress. Systems for gathering and analysing assessment information are accurate and increasingly used effectively to identify priorities and target support and booster work. Attainment in English has been the weakest

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Grade: 2

aspect and a focus on improving reading has resulted in improvements. There are differences, however, in the attainment of boys and girls, with boys doing much less well than girls in English particularly in writing and at the higher levels.

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Grade: 2

Pupils are proud of their school. In this harmonious environment they are confident in voicing their opinions and have positive attitudes to learning. The school takes any form of unkindness or thoughtlessness, including racist remarks, very seriously. As the pupils grow in confidence and social maturity, such incidents are very rare indeed. Pupils feel very safe in school knowing that they are well looked after by adults and other children. Older pupils regularly help to solve playground problems and play with younger ones. Behaviour is good in and out of lessons. This 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Churchfields Primary School, 20–21 January 2009 is particularly evident when pupils are excited and active in their learning. Pupils clearly enjoy the physical activities available to them both in lessons, clubs and in the playground in this 'Healthy' school. Throughout the school pupils take on a good range of responsibilities with

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Grade: 2

relish and would welcome more such opportunities. The school councillors are taken seriously and have had a positive impact on a number of developments, including the recent purchase of new equipment for 'wet play'. Rising standards in literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT) and improving opportunities for pupils to become active learners, acquiring key skills such as teamwork and independence, mean that they are developing good skills, which will stand them in good stead throughout their lives. Parents overwhelmingly agree that their children enjoy school. Despite this, attendance is below the national average. There are some particular reasons for absences related to medical appointments and flexible induction arrangements for pupils with the most complex needs. The school has a very strong policy on lateness, which also affects the figures. However, even taking these factors into consideration, attendance is still too low.

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Grade: 2

During the inspection the quality of teaching and learning seen in classes ranged from satisfactory to outstanding. However, despite these differences in individual lesson quality, there is a high level of consistency and agreement across the school as to what features need to be in place to ensure good learning. As a result, lessons are well planned with clear learning objectives. Varied and interesting activities are designed to involve pupils so that they become active partners in their learning. Pupils are enthusiastic about their lessons, especially the lively ones and as one pupil said, 'We learn happily in school'. The work in pupils' books shows that series of lessons are carefully planned to ensure that the learning covers a lot of ground in a well-ordered way. Teaching assistants provide very good support in classes and with small groups. In the lessons that are only satisfactory, the pace tends to be slower with pupils not

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Grade: 2

given enough opportunities to discuss issues or to be active in their learning. Throughout the school the match of activity is not always challenging enough to really stretch the more able pupils.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is broad and well balanced. Pupils and staff are enthusiastic about planning 'creative learning journeys' and linking many subjects of the curriculum. The school has identified the need to improve writing, particularly boys' writing, and is providing more opportunities for pupils to practice their writing skills in other subjects and in more lively 'boy-friendly' ways. While these developments are at an early stage, they are becoming increasingly effective in extending pupils' skills and knowledge. There is a good range of extra support, 'catch up' group work and sessions for more able pupils in mathematics and science. The curriculum is well planned to enable pupils from the unit to work alongside their peers in mainstream classes when possible, and the school is exploring opportunities for further integration and inclusion. The curriculum meets the needs of most pupils well. A well-planned personal, social, health

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Grade: 2

and citizenship curriculum makes a strong contribution to good personal development, resulting in young people who are becoming responsible citizens in a culturally diverse community. The 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Churchfields Primary School, 20–21 January 2009 curriculum is enhanced by a good range of visits, visitors and local links. Pupils are enthusiastic about the sporting, musical and artistic clubs that are available and the school is seeking to extend this provision further.

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Grade: 2

The safety and care of pupils are very high priorities for all staff. Pupils also take on some responsibility for their own and others' safety and well-being. Safeguarding systems are rigorous. The staff know individual children very well and provide very good support for their social and emotional needs. Recent changes have resulted in good systems to identify pupils' needs early and to put well-targeted support into place. Provision to support the learning needs of pupils is good both in the unit and in mainstream classes. The Family Officer works well with individual families to promote attendance, and the school makes good use of external expertise where appropriate to support the pupils' needs. Targets in writing and mathematics are prominently displayed and referred to in lessons. Teachers consistently mark pupils' work well and give them helpful pointers for the next steps, and there are good examples of where pupils are given time

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Grade: 2

to respond to this and improve their work as a result.

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Grade: 2

Leaders and managers have brought about important improvements that are praised by pupils, staff and many parents. The headteacher has sharpened the focus onto pupils' achievement as well as building on the school's previous strengths and maintaining a harmonious environment where pupils feel happy and safe. Clarity of purpose and direction is very evident and there is a strong emphasis on teamwork, where the contribution of each individual is valued and a 'can do' culture encouraged. The revised leadership structure is increasing the impetus and momentum for improvement because it includes everyone in enthusiastically-led learning and teaching teams. There has been an impressive improvement in a relatively short time, but this has come from a relatively low starting point and the school is well aware that there is a lot more to do. The leadership team know the strengths and priorities for improvement well.

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Grade: 2

Detailed data analysis, monitoring and well-targeted training for all staff are leading to improvement. The school improvement plan is well focused and practical, although it lacks measurable targets. This means that success cannot be evaluated easily. The active support of the governing body and their willingness to hold the school to account has been an additional factor in school improvement. The school is an impressive cohesive community in its own right and works well in partnership with the local community, but is aware that not enough has been done to strengthen these links or pupils' understanding of the wider community. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Churchfields Primary School, 20–21 January 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: Churchfields Primary School, 20–21 January 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: Churchfields Primary School, 20–21 January 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: Churchfields Primary School, 20–21 January 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

04 February 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of Churchfields Primary School,Beckenham,BR3 4QY As you know, I visited your school recently with two other inspectors to find out how well you were doing. Thank you for being so friendly, polite and welcoming, especially those of you who gave up your playtime to talk to us. You, and your parents, told us that you go to a good school and I agree. We agreed with parents who wrote in to tell us that you get off to a good start in the Nursery and Reception classes. Your headteacher, governors and all the staff are very keen to make sure that you do as well in your work in all the classes as possible. They have been working hard to make sure that lessons are well organised, interesting and lively. You told us how much you enjoy the lessons when you are very active and involved. Not all lessons are like this yet, but they are getting there. I have asked your teachers to work together and share their ideas

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

so that more lessons are as good as the best. Lessons would be even better if they were a bit more challenging, especially for some of you who sometimes find the work a bit easy. I was surprised to see that not everyone attends school as often as they should. This is something that really needs to improve so that everyone can get as much as possible out of all the interesting things that are going on. The reason that everyone has been working hard to make the lessons better is because the standard of your work has been too low in the past, but this has improved in the past two years and you are making good progress now. There is still some more work to do to raise standards further, particularly to improve your writing skills and to make sure that more of you reach the higher levels in all subjects. This is especially true for the boys. Come on, boys! The leaders in your school are doing a good job. They know what is working well and what

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

needs to improve and have good plans to make things even better. The best thing about your school is how enthusiastic everyone is, and how well everybody gets on together and helps one another. Well done! Thank you again for helping to make our time in your school so enjoyable. Yours faithfully Sheena MacDonald Her Majesty's Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Churchfields Primary School, 20–21 January 2009

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