Field End Junior SchoolOfsted inspection, 10 Mar 2009

Field End Junior School Inspection report

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102378 Unique Reference Number Hillingdon Local Authority 323634 Inspection number 9–10 March 2009 Inspection dates Martin Beale Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Junior Type of school Community School category 7–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 352 School (total) The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Geoff Cooper Chair Mrs Sheila Pikulski Headteacher 3 November 2005 Date of previous school inspection Field End Road School address Eastcote HA4 9PQ 020 8866 8752 Telephone number 020 8866 8782 Fax number

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7–11 Age group 9–10 March 2009 Inspection dates 323634 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: Field End Junior School, 9–10 March 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

There are more girls than boys in this large school. The community it serves is changing. This is reflected in the increased number of pupils eligible for a free school meal, which is now above average. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds has risen to a quarter, although very few are at an early stage of learning English. Moderate learning difficulties are the main reason for the above-average proportion of the pupils needing extra help with their learning, although few have a statement for their special educational need. The school has gained Healthy School status and a national award for the quality of its provision for information and communication technology (ICT). The After School Club on the school site was inspected at the same time as the school. However, as it is not managed by the school's governing body, the findings are reported separately.

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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: Field End Junior School, 9–10 March 2009

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Grade: 3

The headteacher, staff and governors are accurate in their assessment that Field End Junior School provides a satisfactory education for its pupils. The school has been through a period of declining performance in recent years, but has turned the corner and improvement is underway. Action by the headteacher and leadership team has halted and reversed a pattern of falling standards and test results in mathematics and science. This has been possible because of a focus on improving the quality of teaching and learning while carefully monitoring the pupils' progress. Senior leadership holds teachers increasingly accountable for the progress and learning of pupils in their classes, so that the staff team is pulling towards a common aim. Improving the use of assessment data to monitor the pupils' progress has enabled the school to identify any underachievement and take action to help any pupils who have fallen behind their targets to catch up. This particularly helps to support the

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Grade: 3

satisfactory progress of pupils with moderate learning difficulties. The school is a safe environment for the pupils, where securing their welfare is a key priority for all staff. Consequently, the majority of pupils say they have an adult to confide in if they are worried about anything. Pupils take their responsibilities very seriously and make a valuable contribution to the school community as 'buddies' for younger pupils or through the school council. They value diversity around them and show great respect for each other's customs and cultures. Sport plays a major part in the pupils' lives, helping them to appreciate how exercise and diet can help them to adopt a healthy lifestyle. The pupils' positive attitudes and good behaviour are a major factor in both their development and the harmonious atmosphere around the school. They enjoy lessons, particularly when working with others on practical tasks and the wide range of additional activities within and

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Grade: 3

beyond the school day. They collaborate well and make good use of the opportunity to discuss ideas with others when framing their responses to questions. The application of their well developed ICT skills enhances learning in many areas. These personal qualities and their satisfactory literacy and numeracy development give them a sound platform for success in the future. Teaching and learning are improving, and contribute to the pupils' satisfactory achievement. Lesson-planning is more effective and new technology used well to make learning interesting. Pupils make satisfactory progress from broadly average attainment on entry to the school. Standards in English are above average by Year 6 and average in mathematics and science. This difference is largely because too few pupils are working at higher levels in these two subjects. Teaching does not always challenge the more-able pupils or consistently promote skills of

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Grade: 3

enquiry and investigation. Furthermore, marking, while improving, does not always give sufficient guidance for pupils to meet their individual targets or involve them in evaluating their progress. Structures for checking on the performance of teachers and pupils have become more rigorous, so that the school has a reasonably accurate view of its qualities and the improvements that are needed. Subject leaders and governors are closely involved in this process. Planning for the future is detailed, but priorities are unclear and do not focus sufficiently on the intended outcomes for the pupils' achievement and personal development. Consequently, the capacity for further improvement is satisfactory. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Field End Junior School, 9–10 March 2009

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure that leaders and managers at all levels focus their planning on clear priorities to improve outcomes for the pupils. ■ Make learning a more challenging experience for the more able pupils and plan to develop skills of enquiry and investigation more systematically. ■ Bring greater consistency to marking and the involvement of pupils in identifying how they can take steps to achieve their targets. 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.

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Grade: 3

Pupils, including those with moderate learning difficulties, make satisfactory progress overall while at the school. They make good progress in English and in the development of ICT skills. In both cases, standards are above average by Year 6. Test results are consistently above average in English, with pupils' writing being on a par with their reading. Standards as shown by Year 6 test results had been falling in mathematics and science, along with the progress made by pupils during their time at the school. The school has arrested this decline. The 2008 test results showed some improvement and were broadly average in both subjects. The main reason for this difference is that the more able pupils do better in English. This is because skills of enquiry and investigation are not promoted and pupils are not consistently challenged in mathematics and science. This is slowly improving and school assessment data indicates that more pupils

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Grade: 3

are currently on track to exceed nationally expected levels.

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Grade: 2

Pupils behave well and are keen to learn. This is a significant strength that leads to the calm, orderly atmosphere found in lessons and around the school. The pupils make good progress in their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. They work at a good pace in lessons and know the targets set for improving their work. Their cooperation with others on shared tasks is often impressive. They act responsibly and safely around school and have a good understanding of how to live healthy lives, reflecting the school's work and success in achieving national awards. Most enjoy school. There have been no recent exclusions and attendance is broadly average. The pupils' economic understanding is developed effectively through initiatives such as raising funds for charities and running the healthy food tuck shop. They respond well to the extensive range of demanding duties on offer, including the recently developed role of

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Grade: 2

Junior Road Safety Officer, and appreciate the significant contribution they make towards the life of the school. School council members are enthusiastic about their role, which occasionally involves them in representing the school in the local community. Older pupils are excited at the prospect of using email to develop a contact with a school in France. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Field End Junior School, 9–10 March 2009

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Grade: 3

There are good features to the pupils' learning in several lessons, but these are not consistent enough to have more than a satisfactory impact across the school. The pupils respond well to their teachers because they understand the clear guidelines for their behaviour. The pupils' learning benefits considerably from the creative use of ICT equipment by teachers to make lessons interesting and by pupils to extend their learning. Lesson-planning has improved considerably since the last inspection and teachers more accurately identify the learning needs of the pupils. This, and the careful deployment of teaching assistants, is a major reason for the improved progress of pupils who need extra help with their learning. The level of challenge for the more-able pupils has less impact on their learning and there are insufficient opportunities for these pupils to be independent and to use their initiative. The school is endeavouring to

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Grade: 3

remedy this. The pupils' learning, as well as their speaking and listening, benefit considerably from the opportunity to discuss their ideas with others. These opportunities are not always exploited to best effect when teachers' questions are not used incisively to probe understanding and move learning forward.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum effectively supports the pupils' personal development and areas of their academic development such as English and ICT. Programmes are adapted to support the achievement of pupils with moderate learning difficulties and there is a well-planned programme to extend the learning of pupils with talents in a particular area. However, the promotion of enquiry and investigation skills is not planned systematically across the school. The Friday afternoon 'Excellence and Enjoyment' sessions are a beneficial and much valued enrichment of the pupils' experiences. In addition, there is a wide and varied programme of lunchtime and after school clubs. Links between subjects effectively extend pupils' learning. For instance, in a Year 5 history topic, pupils made puppets for which they wrote plays to show their understanding of the Tudors.

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Grade: 3

All members of staff know the pupils well and strongly encourage their personal development. Procedures for safeguarding are a high priority and meet requirements, with the result that pupils feel safe and well cared for. Incidents of bullying are rare and firmly dealt with. The school has developed secure procedures for assessing and tracking pupils' progress in English and mathematics. The information is used to adjust work for different bands of ability, although work for the more-able pupils is not always hard enough. Progress records do not identify underachievement sufficiently clearly and assessment in science is too broad for progress to be tracked accurately over time. Pupils who need extra help with their learning are identified early and given well-focused support. Pupils are set specific improvement targets. This is beginning to show results in raising standards, but pupils are not always sufficiently involved

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Grade: 3

in evaluating their progress and marking is not consistently focused on how the pupils can take the steps to achieve these targets. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Field End Junior School, 9–10 March 2009

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Grade: 3

Under the leadership of the headteacher and her senior team the school has started to see improvements, notably in ICT where new resources are used effectively to promote learning. The leadership team checks the quality of provision thoroughly and has gathered extensive information about all aspects of the school's work. New systems have been adopted to track the pupils' progress, but these are not effective enough to give the precise information needed to evaluate the impact of initiatives on learning. This is reflected in slightly generous self-evaluation and an improvement plan that focuses on the range of action to be taken, rather than sharp priorities focused on raising achievement in key areas. Governors keep close contact with the school, are strongly supportive and meet all of their statutory requirements. Parents have mixed views about the school and concerns that its leaders do not take enough notice of

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Grade: 3

their concerns. The inspection judges there to be scope for greater parental involvement in planning for change. The school promotes community cohesion satisfactorily. The school is making sound progress in developing its relationship with the wider community and the proposed drop-in centre for parents is a promising development. Leaders and managers are beginning to analyse and evaluate the impact of community cohesion on pupils. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Field End Junior School, 9–10 March 2009 .

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Grade: 3

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Field End Junior School, 9–10 March 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? 3 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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Achievement and standards

3 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 3 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: Field End Junior School, 9–10 March 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? 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 3 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 3 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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Field End Junior School, 9–10 March 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

23 March 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of Field End Junior School,Eastcote,HA4 9PQ Thank you for helping the inspectors when we visited your school. We enjoyed talking with you, visiting your lessons and looking at your work. We saw that you are happy in school, behave well, and get on well with each other. You know a lot about how to keep fit and healthy and how to stay safe. You told us that the adults look after you well and that you can go to them if you have any worries or concerns. You are lucky to have some interesting activities in addition to your daily lessons, particularly in sport. We found that your school is providing you with a satisfactory education. You make satisfactory progress during your time in the school. There are some good features to the teaching and the range of activities in lessons, but there are also some aspects that we have asked the school to improve. The things that we have asked the school to do are to:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ make sure lessons challenge all of you, including those who are capable of the highest standards ■ use marking which will better help you to identify the steps needed to meet your targets

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ check up on how well the school is helping you to learn and make sure that changes are always made quickly enough. We are sure that you and your teachers will work hard to make this improvement. You can play your part in helping the school to get even better by continuing to work hard at all times. We wish you well for the future. Yours faithfully Martin Beale Lead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Field End Junior School, 9–10 March 2009

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