Cranbrook Primary School

Cranbrook Primary School Inspection report

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131625 Unique Reference Number Redbridge Local Authority 328624 Inspection number 8–9 October 2008 Inspection dates Alan Jarvis 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 405 School (total) 209 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 Kevin Young Chair Ms Linda Chesworth Headteacher Not previously inspected Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Cranbrook Primary School School address The Drive Ilford IG1 3PS 020 8518 2562 Telephone number 0 Fax number

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3–11 Age group 8–9 October 2008 Inspection dates 328624 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: Cranbrook Primary School, 8–9 October 2008

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Cranbrook is a new school. It opened in temporary accommodation in September 2007 for Nursery and Reception aged children. Pupils are now taught in a brand new building and there are now classes in Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and Years 1 to 3. All pupils in Years 2 and 3 have joined this year. Additional pupils arrive frequently. Pupils come from a wide range of social and cultural backgrounds. The largest groups of pupils come from Indian and Pakistani heritages with an increasing number coming from Eastern European countries. They speak many different languages. Growing numbers of pupils join at an early stage of learning to speak English. More pupils than is typically found join or leave part way through the school year. The proportion who have learning difficulties or disabilities (LDD) is broadly average. Most of these have speech and language needs. A few come from refugee or asylum seeking families. Children

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Description of the school

start in the EYFS shortly after their third birthday. Two thirds of the teachers in the EYFS and all class teachers in Years 1 to 3 joined this September. For most, it is their first teaching appointment.

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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: Cranbrook Primary School, 8–9 October 2008

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Grade: 3

Starting up a new school is a formidable task. The headteacher and governors have had to think carefully about everything that needs to be put in place. Not all can be done at once. In addition, they have often had to respond quickly to changing circumstances. The school has made a good start in both respects. It is currently offering its pupils a satisfactory quality of education. There are clear signs of improvement wherever you look. Governors have fulfilled their statutory duties well. The headteacher has high aspirations for the school and a clear vision for the future. She is supported very well by her senior management team and together they are putting in place the essential building blocks to help realise this. For example, great pains have been taken to appoint the best possible staff. The classrooms are bright and cheerful, helping to create a positive climate for learning. A satisfactory curriculum is in place. This is under constant review

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Grade: 3

to ensure it best meets the needs of the ever-changing school population. Extra-curricular activities have started and there are firm plans to extend these considerably in the current year. Teething problems with computers are being overcome and there are signs of their increasing use across the curriculum. The headteacher rightly recognises that 'We need to further develop our capacity to improve.' The new subject leaders and managers are starting to contribute and are key to this. However, the headteacher recognises they need further support and time to ensure rigour in their work. Most groups of pupils in Years 1 to 3 make satisfactory progress because of sound teaching. Standards vary in each year. In Year 1, where most pupils have transferred from the Reception class, standards are broadly average. In Years 2 and 3, they are below average with many pupils transferring from schools further afield. The school has quickly recognised that pupils' speaking

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Grade: 3

and listening skills should be higher in all year groups. This, rightly, is a key focus for improvement. Writing also needs attention because it reflects pupils' underdeveloped grasp of spoken language. The teachers are already starting to use a good range of strategies to improve standards in these areas but the impact is yet to show. The leaders and managers in Years 1 to 3 teach consistently well and provide good role models for other teachers. Their good practice is being shared and is helping to bring more consistency to teaching. For example, marking is an emerging strength and lesson plans are starting to improve. These leaders are especially good at observing what individual pupils can and cannot do and then using this information seamlessly in lesson to tailor work so that it is appropriately challenging. However, inconsistencies in each year group mean that this is not the norm and learning is not always well matched to the learning needs and potential of individual pupils.

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Grade: 3

Parents comment favourably on how well their children enjoy school. As one parent said, 'My son even wants to come to school on Saturday he enjoys it so much.' Parents have worked closely with the school to provide healthy lunchboxes. These, and good opportunities for regular exercise, ensure pupils have a good understanding of healthy living. To date there have been no exclusions or racist incidents reported. Pupils' spiritual, moral and social development is satisfactory. However, their cultural understanding is good because of the many opportunities they have to learn about people with different faiths or beliefs. Good links with a range of outside agencies, such as educational psychologists and the educational welfare officer help support pupils learning. Most parents recognise how well the school has overcome problems 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Cranbrook Primary School, 8–9 October 2008 experienced with the 'state of the art' accommodation and has made good strides in improving

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Grade: 3

provision. The school is forming a parent staff association very soon to cement links further.

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Grade: 3

Children who have just started in the Nursery have skills that are well below those expected for their age whilst those in Reception are working at slightly below the expected level. Their speaking and listening skills and social development are particularly weak. Parents comment favourably on how well their children have settled into school routines and feel well supported by the helpful home visits and useful information meetings for parents. Children are making satisfactory progress in both Nursery and Reception. They enjoy learning through play and the more structured learning opportunities that are provided. The use of the outdoor area, in a 'free flow' setting, is helping to provide children with an appropriate range of experiences across all areas of learning. Staff help children understand behaviour expectations and develop confidence and respect for others. Where teaching is good, there is a strong focus on developing

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Grade: 3

children's spoken language, but this is not promoted consistently well. There is a developing system in use for tracking children's progress. This is helping to aid future planning so that it can build on children's previous learning and support any who are falling behind. The EYFS leader has a firm understanding of how young children learn, and how to develop teaching and optimise good quality learning. Although the steps she has taken have yet to fully impact, there are signs that progress is starting to quicken in some classes.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Raise standards in speaking, listening and writing throughout the school.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Accelerate pupils' progress by ensuring all teachers use the information they have on each pupil to ensure learning is consistently challenging. ■ Develop the role of year and subject leaders so that they rigorously monitor provision and ensure all staff are accountable for the progress achieved. A small proportion of schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory but which have areas of underperformance will receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before the next section 5 inspection.

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Grade: 3

Because the school is new no national curriculum tests have yet been undertaken. However, teachers have quickly made accurate assessments of standards in Years 1 to 3. These show that pupils starting points are broadly average in Year 1 and below average in Years 2 and 3. These especially pinpoint weaknesses in pupils' speaking, listening and writing. Although there is still much to do teachers are increasing the amount of paired discussion in lessons, introducing drama and role play and showing pupils examples of good writing they can learn from to help address these areas. Most pupils make satisfactory progress. There is emerging evidence that pupils from Pakistani backgrounds make good progress, especially in Year 1 because of good language and learning support given by the multilingual teaching assistants. Pupils from Eastern European backgrounds, who often start with low standards, are also making good progress because of the good in-class

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Grade: 3

support they receive. Good individual education plans are in place for pupils with learning 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Cranbrook Primary School, 8–9 October 2008 difficulties or disabilities. However, although these pupils are currently making satisfactory progress, the support has not been in place long enough for its impact to shine through.

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Grade: 3

Pupils enjoy school. They are sensitive to the needs of the frequent new arrivals in school, taking pride in translating and helping them to settle quickly. Behaviour in lessons although mostly good, occasionally wanes when learning does not fully capture their interests. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe and know that the staff will deal with any worries speedily. They enjoy eating fruit and vegetables at break time, including tomatoes, which they say they previously disliked. Plans to involve pupils more in school development, through a school council, are at an advanced stage of implementation. Meanwhile, they have helped in some staff appointments and in designing the new playground. Attendance and punctuality are satisfactory. A close partnership with parents has helped reduce term-time holidays. Pupils' sound basic skills mean they are satisfactorily prepared for their next stages of education.

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Grade: 3

'My teacher makes learning fun,' and 'I especially like maths and the problems we solve,' are comments that echo pupils' enjoyment of lessons. The positive outlook of teachers and good use of praise helps pupils take their learning seriously. However, in some classes, pupils are too passive and teachers do not focus enough on developing their speaking and listening skills. Some teachers sustain a good pace and challenge in learning. They do this by combining their regular assessments of pupils and observations of how well pupils are learning as they teach to continually fine tune activities. This ensures pupils are kept on their toes and make good progress. However, this practice is not yet consistently in place.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum securely covers all National Curriculum subjects. It is regularly reviewed to meet the frequently changing needs and backgrounds of new pupils. The school has firm plans to develop and enrich the curriculum through the establishment of a choir, sporting clubs, music tuition and weeks set aside for science, art and environmental studies. Teachers are beginning to make links between pupils' learning in different subjects, which is starting to consolidate their basic skills. Problems with the wireless network for the computers are being resolved and pupils are just starting to use computers to enhance work in other subjects.

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Grade: 3

Pastoral care is good. All requirements for child protection are met and staff are fully appraised of how to ensure pupils are safeguarded. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities are given targeted support to help them achieve as well as their peers. Academic guidance is satisfactory. Teachers are accurately assessing pupils' and starting to target pupils who need extra support or challenge. The marking of pupils' work is quickly becoming effective and beginning to help pupils identify their next steps in their learning. For example, one teacher 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Cranbrook Primary School, 8–9 October 2008 wrote, 'You have used very good titles! Remember to use the punctuation marks we talked about yesterday.'

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Grade: 3

There is a very good, comprehensive strategic plan that is closely reviewed by senior managers and governors. Systematically new systems are being introduced to aid the management of the school. However, the school has only recently been able to introduce these and so they have not been in place long enough for their impact to be felt fully. Monitoring of teaching has just started. Consequently, there has not yet been enough information gathered, or time for inconsistencies to be ironed out and help the many new teachers improve their performance. Subject leaders, especially those for English, mathematics, science and information and communication technology (ICT), have quickly identified an accurate picture of how their subjects need to be developed. However, their action plans are not yet formulated in writing and their monitoring of teaching and pupils' work currently lacks rigour. Governors have made

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Grade: 3

a good contribution to ensuring the budget is on a sound footing, statutory policies are in place, their committee structures run well and the school's accommodation and staffing meet the needs of the growing school. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Cranbrook Primary School, 8–9 October 2008 .

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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: Cranbrook Primary School, 8–9 October 2008

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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?

NA 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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EYFS?

3 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 3 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 3 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 3 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

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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: Cranbrook Primary School, 8–9 October 2008

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learners?

3 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 3 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 3 The attendance of learners 3 The behaviour of learners 3 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: Cranbrook Primary School, 8–9 October 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

21 October 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Cranbrook Primary School,Ilford,IG1 3PS Thank you for being so friendly and for making the inspectors feel welcome when we visited your school recently. Your new school is a satisfactory school and there are clear signs of it getting better day by day. Here are some of the really good things about your school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ The school building is wonderful and there is calm feeling in the school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You're very kind to all the new boys and girls who join the school and make them feel very welcome. Well done! ■ We could see from the smiles on your faces how much you enjoy school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You really know how to eat healthily and keep fit.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ The adults care for you well and quickly deal with any worries you have.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

I have asked your teachers to help to make the school even better by helping you to improve your speaking, listening and writing. You can play your part by getting really involved in classroom discussions. Also, listen very carefully to your teachers when they show you the best ways of writing. Your teachers are finding out as much as they can about what you can already do and what you need to do to improve. I would like them to use this information to make sure your work really challenges you and enables you to make good progress. I have also asked the teachers who are in charge of subjects to keep a close check on how you are learning in their subjects. I hope that you will always enjoy school as much as you do now and you will strive to do as well as you can in the future. Yours sincerely Dr. Alan Jarvis Lead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Cranbrook Primary School, 8–9 October 2008

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