LEYTONSTONE: School praised for rapid improvement (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

LEYTONSTONE: School praised for rapid improvement

8:00am Sunday 2nd January 2011 in Waltham Forest News By Safira Ali

A PRIMARY school has made rapid improvement since its last inspection, say Ofsted inspectors.

Davies Lane Primary School in Leytonstone was rated satisfactory in 2007 and standards were described as below average.

But the latest report, published before Christmas, said pupil perfromance had improved significantly.

The school was given a good rating and its leadership and management were praised.

The staff, headteacher Maureen Okoye and governors were said to have “exceptional driving ambition.”

Inspectors found the starting point for new pupils was well below what was expected, but they soon made good progress.

The school was also praised for its provision for new pupils who spoke limited English, or who had special educational needs or disabilities.

The school was described as having a “warm, welcoming learning environment.”

Paul Edwards, the lead inspector, said in a letter to children and parents: “The teachers work hard to ensure that all of you make good progress.

“Those of you who need extra help with your learning are given good support.

“Occasionally, we think some of you could do even better in your mathematics and we have asked the school to help the teachers make sure this happens.”

The school was also told to give pupils more time to complete work and to improve teachers' use of assessments when planning work.

The school was rated outstanding for the way pupils contributed to the school, the effectiveness of staff support and the extent to which the curriculum met pupils' needs.

It received a ‘good’ rating for pupils' behaviour, the quality of teaching and the effectiveness of the early years foundation stage.

Pupil attainment and attendance was rated satisfactory.

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