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Quotes from The Inspection Report
for
Nightingale Primary School in London, which took place in
February 2007.
This average-sized primary school serves an inner city area where a substantial number of homes are severely disadvantaged. Almost two thirds of pupils are entitled to free school meals, a very high proportion. Nine out of ten pupils are from minority ethnic groups, the largest being Black African and Black Caribbean. One tenth of pupils are Travellers. A large number of pupils are at the early stages of learning English. The number of pupils with learning difficulties is above average.
Achievement is now satisfactory overall, and pupils achieve well in reading and writing. This is because of an intensive programme that focuses on teaching the basic skills and very carefully tracks the progress of each child, so that no one slips through the net.
Pupils make good progress in Years 1 and 2, and in 2006 standards rose significantly in Year 2 national assessments.
In many lessons, a brisk pace captures the pupils' interest and gives them a hunger for knowledge. Pupils have good opportunities to listen to one another. 'In this class we do active listening and do it with a smile' said one teacher.
Subject leaders arecreasingly taking responsibility for curriculum development. This work is however at an early stage. An example is the introduction of a new scheme and mixed-age ability groups in English, which has helped achievement to accelerate in reading and writing. |
