William Davies Primary School

William Davies Primary School Inspection report

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102745 Unique Reference Number Newham Local Authority 323684 Inspection number 20–21 May 2009 Inspection dates 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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Primary Type of school Community School category 3–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 248 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 Mrs Val Coster Chair Mrs Maria Maher Headteacher 3 July 2006 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Stafford Road School address London E7 8NL 020 8472 3864 Telephone number 020 8470 9684 Fax number

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3–11 Age group 20–21 May 2009 Inspection dates 323684 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: William Davies Primary School, 20–21 May 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

William Davies is a one-form-entry school with a Nursery. It serves an urban area with a rich cultural diversity. Ninety per cent of the pupils have a first language that is not English, and over 24 languages are spoken in the school altogether. Families move in and out of the area more often than is usual. The number of pupils with learning difficulties is in line with national averages. The majority of these pupils have problems with learning to read and write or have behavioural issues. The school's headteacher is relatively new in post, as she was appointed in September 2008. The school holds the Activemark 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 11 Inspection Report: William Davies Primary School, 20–21 May 2009

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Grade: 2

This is a good and improving school with a delightful, welcoming atmosphere. Pupils make good progress in English and mathematics and do outstandingly well in their personal development. Relationships throughout the school are excellent and partnership with parents is outstanding. Parents confirmed this by being very keen to express their support. 'Every child counts and every parent counts. And these are not just words,' was a typical comment made by parents. Parents and pupils testify to the good improvements made by the new headteacher. She is successfully focused on accelerating the progress made by all pupils. Senior leaders work effectively together and the governing body provides good support. Consequently, the school is well placed to improve at an even faster rate. Since the last inspection, leaders have worked very hard to improve standards in English, particularly by improving pupils' ability to speak the language. As a result, pupils' progress in

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Grade: 2

reading and writing has improved considerably and is now good. Pupils with learning difficulties also make good progress. At times, where teaching is excellent, progress in English is outstanding. Although progress in mathematics is good overall, it is a little variable, depending on the quality of the teaching as pupils move through the school. Their good progress in English and mathematics means that pupils reach standards that are at least average by the time they leave the school at the end of Year 6. This is because teaching is good. Teachers provide an exciting curriculum that motivates pupils, leading them to say that lessons are fun. However, teachers do not always provide enough information for pupils to understand exactly what they are learning, especially in mathematics. This makes it difficult for learners to evaluate and improve their work. Pupils feel very safe, because of the quality of the relationships and outstanding care. They

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Grade: 2

thoroughly enjoy their lessons and behaviour is good. One pupil explained that the school was so welcoming that she insisted on continuing to attend, even though she now lived a 45-minute journey away. The wealth of opportunities that the school provides contributes to the pupils' outstanding spiritual, social, moral and cultural development. Pupils enjoy taking on a wide range of responsibilities. For instance, there is fierce competition to be part of the playground squad and help other children to socialise. Attendance has improved and is above average compared to similar schools. In addition, pupils have excellent knowledge about health, coupled with good opportunities to exercise. Pupils' ability to cooperate and use computers effectively, together with their sound grasp of basic skills, means that they are well prepared for the next stages in their education.

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Grade: 2

Children begin school with skills and knowledge that are lower than those that would be expected of typical three- and four-year-olds. This is principally because most do not speak English very well. Children make excellent progress in reading and writing as staff concentrate on systematically increasing their vocabulary and developing their speaking skills. Good liaison with parents is established quickly, often because children have previously attended the school's drop-in playgroup. Strong relationships and excellent care underpin children's good progress in their personal development. They soon learn to take turns and work independently. This is encouraged by generally well-planned, interesting activities, with plenty of opportunities to play outside. Although children make good progress in most areas of their curriculum, they do 4 of 11 Inspection Report: William Davies Primary School, 20–21 May 2009

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Grade: 2

not do as well in creative development or in knowledge and understanding of the world. This is because these areas are relatively less well planned. Children are therefore not always clear enough about what they might be learning and how to improve.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Make sure that learners always have detailed enough information about what they are learning, so that they can evaluate their own work and understand how they can improve.

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Grade: 2

All groups of pupils make good progress, taking into account their weak English skills when they start school. Standards at the end of Key Stage 1 are improving gradually in reading, writing and mathematics. They are now in line with national averages. National test results in English, mathematics and science at the end of Year 6 vary from year to year, depending on the abilities of the cohort. In 2008, results were in line with national averages. Most pupils are making good progress because teachers are making better use of assessment information to ensure that any pupils who have learning difficulties are identified quickly. Effective support programmes are then put into place. Leaders are also successfully analysing each subject to see which areas are weakest. They rightly continue to focus on developing pupils' vocabulary and sentence structure in writing. Their evaluations also show the need to improve the use of

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Grade: 2

pupils' mathematical vocabulary so that learners can problem-solve more effectively.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' personal development is outstanding because they respond excellently to opportunities offered to develop positive attitudes to each other and towards their learning. In this respect, the teachers, staff and other adults provide excellent role models. As a result, pupils behave well and enjoy school, and this is reflected in good and improving attendance rates. The school is a caring, happy place and pupils feel safe. This is because, as one pupil put it, 'The teachers always help you, and we can talk to them if we are worried.' Pupils represent the views of others very well as school councillors and show initiative when, for example, they helped to organise the building of the covered shelter in the playground. They have an excellent understanding of why it is important to adopt healthy and active lifestyles and are aware of how to care for others and the environment. Pupils make an outstanding contribution to their local and wider

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Grade: 1

communities through charitable fund-raising, local visits and links with other schools and organisations. Well-planned assemblies help pupils to reflect on important moral and spiritual themes. Pupils have a very good understanding of other cultures and customs through drama, poetry and music, and through the celebration of world faiths and customs.

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Grade: 2

Lessons are lively and engage the pupils through the use of interesting tasks and colourful images on the interactive whiteboards. Pupils like and respect their teachers and respond well, persevering and taking pride in their work. Planning has improved since the last inspection and teachers work hard to cater effectively for pupils of all abilities, including those with learning 5 of 11 Inspection Report: William Davies Primary School, 20–21 May 2009 difficulties. All staff have had training in support for pupils who do not speak English and they make sure that all pupils understand the teachers' explanations. At times, however, teachers do not give pupils detailed enough information about what they are expected to do when working independently. As a result, pupils are not always clear enough about what to do and, on these occasions, find it hard to evaluate their own work and improve it.

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Grade: 2

'We love our Bollywood Club' was the comment of pupils regarding one of the many after-school activities provided by the school as part of its wider curriculum. Subjects are increasingly being taught through interesting special topics and themed events, such as the Black History months, but these developments are still in their early stages. These topics stimulate pupils' interests and enthusiasm for learning and high levels of motivation are very evident. A good example was the Year 6 class, which was creating a commentary for the book Clockwork. Music, sport and the creative arts also feature very strongly in the school's curriculum. Sport, in particular, is well supported and pupils benefit greatly from the expertise of sports coaches who visit the school. Pupils also enjoy local visits to places such as the Geffrye Museum to learn about the work of artists, and local history. Year 6 visit Blackwater Estuary in Essex for an annual residential

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Grade: 2

week to develop team-building and fieldwork skills. The school is trialling a French club and a few lessons for pupils, before adding this modern foreign language to the curriculum later this year.

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Grade: 2

Relationships are paramount in this school and new pupils settle in quickly. The school is very diligent about safety and welfare. It has created a network of initiatives and strong partnerships, both within the school and with outside agencies, to ensure that all groups of pupils, particularly those with behaviour problems, or learning difficulties, are well cared for and receive excellent support. The 'Triple P' initiative, 'Positive Parenting Programme', introduced this year, provides excellent support and guidance for parents. Pupils benefit from good levels of support and guidance in their academic development, based on accurate tracking and analysis of their needs. However, teachers' marking is inconsistent, so that pupils do not always get enough information on how to improve their work.

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Grade: 2

The school is successfully led by a senior team whose members work very well together. Subject leaders are knowledgeable and provide good support for their colleagues. Leaders understand the schools' strengths and weaknesses well enough to drive improvement forward at a generally good pace. For example, the teaching of English has improved and personal development is now outstanding. Partnership with parents is exemplary. Leaders work very hard to plan and evaluate the impact of the school's work to promote community cohesion. They involve all parents and the whole community through a range of activities, such as enthusiastically supported parent workshops. The pace of improvement is a little slower where the analysis of assessment information is not yet incisive enough. For example, the school had not, until recently, been able to pinpoint classes where progress in mathematics was weaker. Leaders are

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Grade: 2

6 of 11 Inspection Report: William Davies Primary School, 20–21 May 2009 supported by a good governing body which monitors leaders' actions effectively and which is actively involved in the life of the school. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: William Davies Primary School, 20–21 May 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: William Davies Primary School, 20–21 May 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: William Davies Primary School, 20–21 May 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 2 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 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 1 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 1 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: William Davies Primary School, 20–21 May 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

09 June 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of William Davies Primary School,London,E7 8NL Thank you so much for all your help when we visited your school. Special thanks to those of you who gave up some of your lunch hour to meet with us. We were impressed with the work of the school council. It was also good to hear that you feel so safe and well cared for at school. We were very pleased to hear how much you like school and we agree with you that yours is a good school. You make good progress, so you reach national averages in your tests at the end of Year 6. You have been doing very well in English, thanks to the hard work of all your teachers. Your progress in mathematics is not as rapid as it is in English, but it is still good. We also agree with you when you say that lessons are interesting and fun. Your personal development is excellent. You do well in learning to be safe and healthy, and you all get on together superbly.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

The school works extremely hard with your parents to give you all a good education. However, we do not agree with you that there is nothing at all about your school that needs improving! Some of you told us that you only learn by understanding your weaknesses and getting even better. There are a few things that the school could do to improve even more. The main thing that we have asked the school to do is to:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ make sure you are always given detailed enough information about what you are learning, so that you can evaluate your own work and understand how you can improve. Keep on working hard! Yours faithfully Sue Rogers Lead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: William Davies Primary School, 20–21 May 2009

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