Grove Park Primary School

Grove Park Primary School Inspection report

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102485 Unique Reference Number Hounslow Local Authority 323646 Inspection number 19–20 January 2009 Inspection dates George Rayner 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 226 School (total) 26 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 Scott Norvell Chair Mrs Marion Lee Headteacher 14 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 Nightingale Close School address Chiswick London W4 3JN 020 8994 7405 Telephone number 020 8742 7758 Fax number

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3–11 Age group 19–20 January 2009 Inspection dates 323646 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: Grove Park Primary School, 19–20 January 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

While just over half of pupils are of White British origin, a very high proportion are from minority ethnic backgrounds. Pupils come from a wide variety of nationalities, with no single one outnumbering the others. The proportion of pupils whose first language is not English is above average, but only a very small number, in the Nursery, are at an early stage of learning to speak English. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is above average. Their needs are diverse, with moderate difficulties in developing basic literacy skills, and behavioural needs, being those most commonly occurring. Since the last inspection there has been a much higher than normal turnover of staff. The school provides Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provision in a Nursery and a Reception class.

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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: Grove Park Primary School, 19–20 January 2009

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Grade: 2

This is a good school. It has some outstanding features. Several parents described the school as a community in which all pupils are valued and nurtured. This is demonstrated in the outstanding care, guidance and support that it provides and pupils' excellent personal development and well-being. Pupils greatly enjoy school and love the staff whom they describe as 'really helpful and nice'. They feel extremely safe at school. The great respect that they show for their classmates' diverse cultural backgrounds contributes tremendously to the security and harmony that exists in the school. Pupils have an excellent understanding of the importance of healthy diet and take part in a wide range of physical activities. Pupils make an exemplary contribution to school life and enthusiastically join in with activities within their local community. The school has transformed its curriculum since the last inspection. Several parents praised the

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Grade: 2

range and quality of stimulating activities that it now provides. There is a strong focus on integrated projects, which provide highly motivating opportunities for pupils to bring together their learning from different subjects. Achievement is good, because teaching and learning, while sometimes excellent, are not consistently of the quality to lead to outstanding progress. In the best lessons activities are exceptionally well planned to provide for the needs of all pupils. They are highly stimulating, so that pupils are inspired to be extremely well involved in their learning. Other lessons, while usually good, are not so successful in these respects. Pupils reach broadly average standards by the end of Year 6. Very good progress in mathematics and science results in pupils reaching above-average standards. While good overall, progress is weakest in English, where pupils just reach average standards. This is because they make less progress in

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Grade: 2

writing than in other aspects of this subject, because opportunities provided in lessons to develop the necessary skills have not been as effective. While the senior leadership team has been stable since the last inspection, staffing turbulence has, until recently, prevented the establishment of a settled middle leadership team responsible, for example, for subjects. The school's leaders acknowledge that this has sometimes reduced the pace of improvement and meant that responsibilities have not always been well shared among the staff. In spite of the challenges faced, well-considered initiatives have already had significant impact in improving several areas, including the curriculum, assessment and information and communication technology (ICT) resources. This has been because the headteacher, ably supported by the deputy, is providing excellent leadership and a very strong vision for the direction of the school. Now the focus is on sharing leadership responsibilities

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Grade: 2

more widely. Subject leaders, many recently appointed, are developing into an able, enthusiastic and coherent team. The track record shows that the school has a good capacity to improve further.

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Grade: 2

Children make a good start in the EYFS. Effective procedures, including liaison with parents, ensure that staff respond well to the unique needs of each child. Learning provides an effective balance of activities led by adults with those where children explore for themselves through play. Personal development is a great strength. Children's relationships are excellent, particularly when collaborating during activities. They are able to take turns and help each other. Children are very creative in setting up their own situations for imaginative play. They make confident responses in whole-class settings. Language and communication are developed well through 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Grove Park Primary School, 19–20 January 2009 links to knowledge and understanding of the world, for instance learning the letter sound 'p' and linking it to objects such as penguins found in cold regions of the world. Children enjoy

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Grade: 2

playing outdoors, but the external curriculum is not integrated sufficiently with indoor learning. The EYFS is well led and managed. Staff are well qualified and their teamwork is a good model for the children. Care is outstanding. The environment is very safe, with very well-organised and diligently performed procedures for ensuring children's welfare. Partnership with the local authority has supported the school in developing additional provision, for example through training staff in programmes for speech, language and communication. This particularly helps the children who are at early stages of learning to communicate in English, to make progress quickly.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Increase progress in writing so that pupils' English standards are higher at the end of Year 6. ■ Improve the consistency of teaching so that the quality in all lessons matches the best to be seen in the school.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' attainment when they arrive at the school varies from year to year. While it is at expected levels in some years, it is below these in most. Pupils make good progress and their overall standards are broadly average at the end of Year 6. Pupils use their skills well when working independently to solve mathematics problems and are able to find things out for themselves in scientific investigations. They become proficient and enthusiastic readers, but many find it difficult to develop their ideas in sustained pieces of writing in a variety of styles. Recent work shows that improved teaching techniques are beginning to have an impact when, for example, pupils learn to make sentences more interesting and informative by adding clauses. The full impact has not yet been seen, however. Because their needs are carefully identified and effectively provided for, the pupils who find it difficult to develop basic literacy skills at a normal

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Grade: 2

rate and those from the various minority ethnic backgrounds make as much progress as their classmates.

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Grade: 1

The great majority of pupils attend school regularly. Behaviour is outstanding. A parent wrote appreciatively of the excellent progress that her child, who has behavioural difficulties, has made in this respect. Pupils work extremely well together and make lively and interesting contributions to discussions. They have an excellent understanding of how to stay safe. Their social relationships are excellent and they greatly value the friendships they make. Pupils particularly like the 'bubble box' system, which means they can unobtrusively let adults know if they are worried about something. The school council allows pupils to take responsibility and develop an understanding of citizenship from an early age. Other opportunities, such as becoming play leaders, provide training and the experience of leading groups of younger pupils. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent. They learn to form their

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Grade: 1

own opinions and show great respect for those of others. Pupils' development of literacy, numeracy and ICT skills, plus the many opportunities that they have to learn to work together and think for themselves, prepare them well for the future. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Grove Park Primary School, 19–20 January 2009

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Grade: 2

Teachers plan well to ensure that time is used effectively. This gives pupils good opportunity at the end of lessons to consider how successfully they have learned. Teachers and teaching assistants work together well to ensure that any pupils finding work difficult receive additional help to keep up with the pace of learning. In the best lessons teachers use assessment extremely well to ensure that challenge is exactly right for all and plan exciting activities that inspire high enthusiasm and involvement from pupils. This was seen in a Year 4 lesson when pupils thoroughly enjoyed working together to develop their own ideas on how to encourage their parents to be careful when using precious resources. In some lessons activities are not so well matched to all pupils' needs, or teachers do not make the fullest use of opportunities for discussion, for example when pupils ask questions. This occasionally results in lower challenge for the more

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Grade: 2

able pupils, so that their progress temporarily slows.

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Grade: 1

Excellent integrated activities strongly encourage pupils to work together to plan their own work and to develop their critical thinking powers, by, for example, forming and discussing their own opinions on vital issues such as the environment. An extremely well-planned personal, social and health education (PSHE) programme makes an excellent contribution to pupils' personal development by, for example, ensuring that they are very well informed about how to live safe and healthy lives. Provision for ICT was weak at the time of the last inspection. Resources have been comprehensively upgraded and pupils now have many opportunities to use computers to enhance their work in all subjects. A stimulating range of well-attended clubs and an excellent variety of trips and visitors gives pupils fresh perspectives on what they learn in the classroom and boosts their enjoyment.

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Grade: 1

Many parents praised the impact of the school's care on the security and well-being of their children. One reported, 'My son was quite shy, but has developed into a confident happy boy, helped by the strong community feeling at Grove Park.' Procedures to ensure pupils' safety are extremely well planned and diligently carried out. Excellent partnerships with outside agencies provide high-quality specialist support for any pupils who need this, and guidance for school staff to develop their own expertise for ensuring pupils' well-being. Following recent improvements, the systems for guiding and supporting pupils' progress are now extremely effective. Regular assessment and close tracking of each pupil's progress ensure early identification of those falling behind their expected standards and effective extra help for them to catch up. Pupils who have already benefited from this proudly showed inspectors how it had

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Grade: 1

improved the quality of their work. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Grove Park Primary School, 19–20 January 2009

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Grade: 2

Leaders in the school succeed well in ensuring cohesion and harmony within its culturally diverse community. They are increasingly helping pupils to understand other communities through, for example, links with schools in contrasting places. Subject leaders are becoming increasingly involved in monitoring and evaluating their areas. They are not yet observing lessons sufficiently to provide first-hand evidence that can be used to guide their colleagues on improving the teaching of their subjects. Plans are in hand to tackle this, however. Governors are knowledgeable about the school's priorities. They support the leaders with commitment, while being willing to challenge them when necessary. The good self-evaluation by senior leaders has provided an accurate view of the school's strengths and areas in need of improvement, and effective strategies to secure these have been adopted. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Grove Park Primary School, 19–20 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: Grove Park Primary School, 19–20 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? 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? 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: Grove Park Primary School, 19–20 January 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 2 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? 1 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: Grove Park Primary School, 19–20 January 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

30 January 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of Grove Park Primary School,London,W4 3JN Thank you for welcoming the inspectors to your school recently. We enjoyed meeting you. We are grateful for the help you gave, by talking to us and showing us your work. We were able to see that yours is a good school. Some things are outstanding. One is the way that you are encouraged to grow into mature, responsible young people. Some of you told us that you really enjoy school and we could see that this is true. You showed it by the way you joined in with things so well and through your excellent behaviour. You all get on very well together, so that your school is like a happy family. This really helps your teachers. The adults are proud of you and care for you very well. You make good progress in your learning, so that your standards are better than those in most schools by the time you leave in Year 6. You make very good progress in mathematics and

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

science and are especially good at using your skills to work things out for yourself. You enjoy reading and become good at this. The adults know that your progress is not quite as good in writing. They know that they need to give you more help with this and have some good ideas for doing so. We have asked them to do this as quickly as possible. The adults teach you well and give you lots of help to learn to think for yourselves. Some of your lessons are outstanding. These are the ones when the teachers make sure that the work is just right for everybody and that is it so exciting that you really enjoy it. Not all lessons are quite this good and we have asked the adults to do all that they can to make all lessons as good as the best ones. The headteacher and staff have a good idea of what they need to do to make your school even better and we know that you will continue to help them. Well done to you all and very best

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

wishes for your future lives. Yours faithfully, George Rayner Lead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Grove Park Primary School, 19–20 January 2009

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