The inspection was carried out by three Additional Inspectors.

Description of the school

Jubilee is a larger than average primary school located in the largest housing estate in Britain. The area has high levels of poverty and social disadvantage. The proportions of pupils eligible for free school meals and those with learning difficulties or disabilities are above average. Over half of the pupils are from minority ethnic groups. 7 percent of pupils are at an early stage of learning English. The number of pupils who leave or start school at times other than the normal time is higher than average.

Overall effectiveness of the school

Grade: 2

Jubilee is a good school with many outstanding features. The headteacher and deputy who form a dedicated, talented team, initiate and drive the school forward through their highly effective leadership. The excellent care, guidance and support provided by the school very successfully develops confidence and self-esteem and raises pupils' often very low expectations of themselves. This contributes very effectively to their outstanding personal development. Pupils want to do well and are proud of their good achievements.

Children start at the school with attainment which is well below that expected for their age, they achieve well and leave with broadly average standards in English, mathematics and science at the end of Year 6. Mathematics is now the strongest subject because of intensive work to improve standards. Improvements have been made in writing but more remains to be done. Standards in writing are not high enough. Pupils enjoy writing and are keen to express their ideas. However, their organisational skills in writing, and knowledge of grammar is weak.

From a very low starting point children get off to a flying start in the Foundation Stage making very good progress because of good provision from an experienced and knowledgeable team. Progress is good throughout the rest of the school and for all groups of pupils. This is the result of good teaching and an excellent, imaginative curriculum, which meets the needs of pupils of all abilities including those who are learning English as an additional language. Support and training for the many new teachers on the staff is of the highest quality and ensures consistently good teaching across the school.

Each individual child is at the heart of the school's work and clearly everyone enjoys being there as shown by the pupils' good attendance. The school is a safe, attractive and welcoming place where even the youngest children understand the need to be healthy and safe. Children and adults are proud to be part of the school community and parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school. One parent said that she knew her daughter would leave the school, 'happy and confident to venture out into the big wide world.' Statements like this reflect how successfully the school equips children for later life. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. There is a strong sense of purpose in an ethos which reflects the school motto of 'courtesy and consideration'.

The school has outstanding procedures to find out what it is doing well and where improvement is needed and takes very effective action to deal with any weaknesses. This has been shown in the steps taken to improve teaching and learning in mathematics which has resulted in a substantial improvement in performance. The decisions taken by the school and governors to invest in additional staff to support pupils' learning and to provide intensive training for new teachers was based on rigorous evaluation and has resulted in an improvement in the quality of teaching. These positive results demonstrate that the school has an outstanding capacity for further improvement.

What the school should do to improve further

Achievement and standards

Grade: 2

Standards are average by the time pupils leave the school and achievement is good. Children enter school with attainment levels well below those expected particularly in communication, language and literacy and personal development. They make very good progress in the Foundation Stage as a result of good provision so that by the time they start in Year 1, standards are close to those expected for their age. The strong emphasis on literacy, numeracy and personal development helps children to make good progress.

The most recent provisional results at the end of Year 2 show standards are just above average in mathematics but below average in reading and writing. The school's initiatives have made a good impact on improving standards in writing at the end of Year 2 but more remains to be done to raise standards in writing in Years 3 to 6. The latest results exceed the school's challenging targets. Test results have risen significantly in mathematics in Year 6 with higher achieving pupils performing particularly well. Children who enter the school at an early stage of learning English and those with learning difficulties and disabilities are given effective support and make good progress.

Personal development and well-being

Grade: 1

Personal development and well-being including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are outstanding and reinforced by staff who provide excellent role models. Pupils enjoy all aspects of school. They demonstrate its values by respecting others, making a personal contribution and celebrating the various cultures in school and the wider world. Behaviour is good. Pupils from all groups and across age groups co-operate well and are caring and considerate towards each other. Pupils have an excellent understanding of how to stay safe and healthy as demonstrated by the safe practices and healthy attitudes they adopt. They enthusiastically take on responsibilities within the school community, using their initiative and performing various roles such as acting as playground friends. Pupils celebrate their success in class and through assemblies which develops their self-esteem well. As a result of the excellent work done by learning mentors and improved basic skills in mathematics all pupils are well prepared for their future education and life outside school.

Quality of provision

Teaching and learning

Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. Despite their relative inexperience, staff are competent and confident because of the excellent support and induction given by the leadership team. Teachers plan together very well and use a generous number of support staff effectively to meet the needs of the mixed age classes. There is a strong focus on personal development as well as literacy and numeracy so that pupils learn how to organise their work and to co-operate which supports their good achievement. Good marking indicates to pupils how they can improve their work, and reach their targets, but this is not consistent across the school. In the Foundation stage, teachers know their children and their achievements very well and the strong team of knowledgeable, experienced staff ensure children get an excellent start to their learning.

Pupils enjoy lessons and participate well especially when they are using interactive whiteboards or being creative, for example, pupils in a Year 3 and 4 class went into the extensive grounds and gathered material for a 'mood board' before they described a 'mouse house' in their story. Teachers have high expectations of behaviour and manage pupils well. Lessons include a variety of fun activities and are usually well paced. However, because the pace sometimes slows, the attention of the faster writers is lost.

Curriculum and other activities

Grade: 1

The school provides an outstanding curriculum that meets the needs of all the children. The curriculum in the Foundation stage is engaging, very well planned and there is a balance between directed and child-initiated activities. It is motivating and relevant with a good emphasis on personal development, health and safety. While resources are used well, there is insufficient play space for the Nursery children.

The curriculum throughout the school is based on the six themes of the Foundation Stage. It has a strong emphasis on literacy, numeracy, personal development and creativity. It is enhanced with themed weeks, for example for performing arts, and with visits, residential trips and instrumental tuition. A rich variety of clubs meets a wide range of interests and needs, for example anger management, gifted and talented, French and lots of sports. Links between subjects have a positive impact on pupils' learning, particularly in information and communication technology where 'it makes learning interesting and fun'. The school works very creatively with local agencies to give pupils extensive information on personal safety and healthy living. Provision for pupils with English as an additional language is outstanding. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities have excellent individual education plans and a wide range of extra support. Jubilee has received awards for basic skills, sport, and the Arts.

Care, guidance and support

Grade: 1

Outstanding provision in this area is at the heart of the school's success. Staff are dedicated to making sure every child is safe and able to flourish. This is very much appreciated by parents. Staff know the pupils very well and relationships are outstanding. These include valuable links with outside agencies and with parents. Pupils respond exceptionally well to being treated with consistent fairness, respect and praise.

Health, safety and well-being are high priorities and rigorous procedures for safeguarding pupils are in place. Child protection and health and safety systems are robust and the level of risk assessment is excellent. Support for the many pupils who have English as an additional language is outstanding based on an excellent system to assess, monitor and target their individual development. The academic progress of all pupils is closely monitored and used effectively to inform teaching. Those experiencing particular problems are quickly identified and receive outstanding support from the learning mentors who work with them and their families. In addition to individual support they run a number of excellent initiatives such as clubs for homework, happy playtimes and teambuilding.

Leadership and management

Grade: 1

Leadership and management are outstanding. The headteacher's firm belief that everyone in the school community matters, ensures he has a dedicated and hardworking staff. The headteacher and deputy make a strong team who initiate and drive improvement. Together they set very clear direction for the school and provide exceptional leadership across age groups, subjects, and in the provision for pupils with a variety of additional needs. Because many of the teaching staff are at the very early stages of their careers, much of the curriculum leadership falls on senior staff, but they are beginning to develop and train others into leadership roles. Professional development has a high status and the ethos of achievement and inclusion is subscribed to by all.

The school has an accurate view of its strengths and priorities based on comprehensive systems of evaluation and review involving staff, governors, parents and pupils. Success is celebrated and the school actively and sometimes imaginatively finds ways for all pupils to succeed. Challenging whole school targets are set, tracked and monitored and, if necessary, early intervention or other support is quickly and effectively provided. The school's self evaluation is excellent and has been particularly effective in making improvements in mathematics. As a result, pupils who start the school with attainment which is well below average, achieve well in their work and make outstanding gains in their personal development.

Governors are supportive and challenging as they hold the school to account for its performance. The school benefits from various experience and expertise of governors. They fulfil all statutory requirements.