The Russell Primary School

The Russell Primary School Inspection report

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102896 Unique Reference Number Richmond Upon Thames Local Authority 323709 Inspection number 19 May 2009 Inspection date Nicola Davies 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 277 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 Donna Querns Thorne Chair Mr Darren Harrison Headteacher 29 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 Petersham Road School address Petersham Richmond TW10 7AH 020 8940 1446 Telephone number 020 8332 0985 Fax number

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3–11 Age group 19 May 2009 Inspection date 323709 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: The Russell Primary School, 19 May 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors. The inspectors evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and the Early Years Foundation Stage and the impact of the school's work on the progress of different groups of pupils, particularly in reading and writing. Evidence was gathered from the analysis of pupils' test results, observation of lessons and pupils' work, parents' questionnaires and discussions with the headteacher, staff, governors and pupils. Other aspects of the school's work were not investigated in detail, but 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

This primary school in Petersham has an Early Years Foundation Stage. This includes a morning and afternoon Nursery class. There is one class for younger Reception-aged children. Older Reception-aged children are grouped with younger Year 1 pupils. The school is ethnically mixed. Over half of the pupils are of White British heritage and the remaining pupils represent a wide range of ethnic backgrounds. Around one in five pupils is bilingual or learning English as an additional language. This is higher than the proportion found nationally but only a few pupils are at early stages of becoming bilingual. The proportion of pupils who are entitled to free school meals is below average as is the overall proportion of pupils who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities. A specific learning needs unit is part of the school and caters for pupils up to seven years of age who have statements of special

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Description of the school

educational need for severe learning difficulties and/or disabilities. There is a breakfast and after school club on the school site which is run by a private provider.

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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: The Russell Primary School, 19 May 2009

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Grade: 2

The Russell Primary School provides its pupils with a good education. This inclusive school develops the personal and academic skills of its pupils well. As a result, pupils make good academic progress and their maturity and social awareness prepares them well for their next steps in education. The school makes very good use of its delightful and extensive grounds to encourage all pupils to develop very healthy lifestyles and to take a keen interest in the natural world around them. The thriving gardening club and the recently opened wildlife garden are just two examples of how the school develops and makes best use of the natural environment. Parents wholeheartedly approve of the school's 'wonderful environment' as well as 'its sense of community', which is encouraged well by opportunities for pupils of different ages, from different backgrounds and facing different challenges to mix and learn together. For example, older children are proud of

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Grade: 2

the help they give to younger pupils with their reading and the education and inclusion of pupils with severe learning difficulties is a significant strength with benefits for all. Similarly, the curriculum is used well to extend pupils' skills and experiences and supports the school's good contribution to community cohesion. For example, during the inspection the planned African theme provided pupils with some very good opportunities to develop their skills in less familiar contexts, from dance to mask-making to exploring symmetry and pattern-making in mathematics. Teachers plan well to ensure that pupils benefit from this broad and imaginative curriculum and teaching is good across the school. A weaker aspect is the day-to-day academic guidance provided to pupils through teachers' responses and opportunities for assessing and guiding pupils' work in future lessons. For example, although marking is regular, it does not

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Grade: 2

consistently provide pupils with specific guidance on their next steps. The standards that pupils reach in national assessments at the end of Year 6 are generally significantly above average. At the time of the last inspection the school was asked to ensure that potentially higher-achieving pupils reached higher standards in reading and writing by the end of Year 2. The school has made good progress on this issue through a number of well-considered changes. These have included a focus on matching group activities well to pupils' particular needs in reading and writing. As a result, a much higher percentage of pupils currently in Year 2 are working at higher levels in these subjects. This improvement has been supported by a strong system for tracking pupils' progress and setting targets for them to achieve. This has also helped senior staff ensure that pupils make consistently good progress as they go through the school following a dip in the standards that Year 6 pupils reached in

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Grade: 2

2007 and 2008. School leaders and governors have planned and monitored the successful efforts at raising standards. The impact can be seen in the work and progress of pupils currently at the school. Pupils achieve well, making good progress from their starting points to reach standards in Year 6 which are considerably above average. Such successes are strong indicators of the school's good capacity to continue to improve and of its good leadership and management. The headteacher, deputy headteacher and staff with responsibility for particular areas of the curriculum have worked together well to make these improvements. While there are strong systems to track pupils' academic progress and the quality of teaching, the school's systems for self-evaluation are not yet comprehensive. The school has rightly identified a need to improve communication with parents and to sample their views more regularly, but these planned enhancements are not yet in place. As a result, not all parents feel

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Grade: 2

fully informed of developments and initiatives and a few feel that the school does not respond 4 of 9 Inspection Report: The Russell Primary School, 19 May 2009 well to their concerns and ideas. While this is an area for improvement, the good quality of teaching, care and support and the wide curriculum win parents' full support, resulting as they do in a stimulating and enjoyable education for their children.

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Grade: 2

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides a safe and stimulating environment for children's learning. Carefully planned activities promote their interest in stories, words and letters well. For example, Reception children were charmed by the story 'Handa's Surprise', describing how 'your fingers get all purple when you eat passion fruit'. Other children were delighted by the opportunity to get involved in a re-telling of the story using animal masks. Children are confident and articulate as a result of such imaginative opportunities to express themselves in different ways and situations. All children have independent access to well-resourced outdoor areas. There is a wide range of activities that fire their imaginations and stimulate their explorations well, particularly for children in the Reception Year. The Early Years Foundation Stage is well led by the coordinator. She has ensured that all children have opportunities to learn

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Grade: 2

independently as well as through activities led by adults. The next task that staff have set themselves is to ensure that all activities match the quality of the best and to extend independent learning opportunities to older children who would continue to benefit from these. Staff promote children's health and welfare well. Children show good levels of concentration in their daily activities and develop good relationships with adults and between themselves. Children join the Early Years Foundation Stage with the knowledge and skills that are expected. They achieve well and, as a result, nearly all achieve or exceed the expectations for their age by the time they enter Year 1.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Further improve the effectiveness of teaching by making good use of day-to-day assessment to steer pupils' learning. ■ Extend self-evaluation activities to include sampling and monitoring of parental views. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: The Russell Primary School, 19 May 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: The Russell Primary School, 19 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? 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? 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: The Russell Primary School, 19 May 2009

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 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 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 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: The Russell Primary School, 19 May 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

08 June 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of The Russell Primary School,Richmond,TW10 7AH Thank you for your warm welcome when we visited your school recently. We were delighted that our visit coincided with your African-themed week as this meant we were able to share in some of the really interesting lessons your teachers had planned for you. It also gave us the chance to join in your drumming assembly, which we enjoyed as much as you and your teachers. We also wanted to thank you and your teachers for making time to answer our questions during your busy day. We judged that your school provides you with a good education, as do the leaders and managers at your school. This includes all the things the school provides for you such as your lessons, the curriculum you study, and through the systems for caring, guiding and supporting you. One of the impressive things about the school is the way that you make a really excellent

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

contribution to the school community. This includes all the activities you take part in together and the way that you are involved in making links with other schools and countries and with pupils in different year groups and facing different challenges. This is an outstanding aspect of your personal development and the school helps you mature into very confident and articulate young people. We also liked your new School Council newsletter, which is a great way of getting your message across. We have asked your school to do two things. First, we have asked your teachers to think carefully about how they let you know how to improve in your lessons or through the work you hand in. We have also agreed with your headteacher and governors that their plan to find out more about your parents' views is a good idea. We wanted to apologise for not being able to come to your 'Isle of Wight Fair' at the end of the day. We were looking forward to sampling some of the activities you had organised to raise

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

money, but by the time we had finished talking about what we had found out about Russell Primary, it was too late. We hope you raised a lot of money. Yours faithfully Nicola Davies Lead Inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: The Russell Primary School, 19 May 2009

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