Clore Shalom School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment in the school by:

ensuring that teachers check pupils’ work more closely in lessons so that all pupils, and particularly the most able, are appropriately challenged and supported ensuring that all teachers model the school’s expectation for handwriting and feedback when they are writing in pupils’ books sharing the successful methods evident in the most effective teaching across the school.

• Develop the roles of middle leaders by ensuring that they: make better use of assessment information to identify pupils who are falling

behind, or who have special educational needs and/or disabilities check the work of teachers more closely and act more quickly to ensure that the differing needs of pupils are being met in all lessons check that pupils access good learning in a wide range of subjects across the curriculum.

• Ensure that teaching meets the needs of all children in the early years by:

planning learning that builds on each child’s starting point increasing the challenge for the most able children, particularly in reading and writing.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Since their appointment, the headteacher and deputy headteacher have worked relentlessly to raise the expectations of staff for pupils. As a result, inadequate teaching has been eradicated and pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to learning have improved significantly.
• Senior leaders have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They have correctly identified that the most important priorities for improvement are ensuring that teaching and coverage of a broad curriculum improve quickly.
• Leaders have managed significant changes in staffing effectively. They set high expectations for all new staff. As a result, teaching is improving and there are skilled teachers who can support others to improve their work.
• Leaders use performance management to address weaknesses and to set challenging targets for teachers. Targets are linked to school priorities. Leaders have improved the management of support staff so that their work is now monitored and their training needs are identified. As a result, activities delivered by support staff are helping pupils to make better progress in lessons.
• Leaders are improving the curriculum so that it provides greater breadth and caters for a wide range of abilities and interests. The curriculum is enhanced by trips, sporting clubs and visitors. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 spoke to inspectors with enthusiasm about their visit to RAF Hendon. A chocolate-themed week successfully enabled pupils to complete lessons linked to science, geography and history. Leaders have consulted pupils through the school council about the curriculum and are responding to their suggestions. For example, leaders have added more opportunities to learn about a range of religions in more detail.
• Spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is embedded in the school’s ethos and in its promotion of British values. Leaders recognise the importance of preparing pupils for life in modern Britain and this is reflected in lessons which teach respect for, and understanding of, other religions. The curriculum provides opportunities for pupils to learn about the police and fire services. Pupils in Year 6 complete a citizenship programme.
• Leaders use the primary physical education and sports funding well. Sports coaches work alongside school staff and model techniques. This is improving teachers’ knowledge and skills so that they deliver good teaching in physical education (PE) lessons. Funding has also been used to improve the quality of sports equipment. A wide range of sports are available to pupils in lessons and in the popular after-school sports clubs. The school takes part in a wide range of sports within the Hertsmere Sports Partnership of schools and this provides pupils with opportunities to take part in competitions.
• The number of disadvantaged pupils at the school is small. Leaders use pupil premium funding effectively by monitoring each pupil’s progress closely and providing an individualised programme of support for them. Disadvantaged pupils access interventions such as one-to-one tutoring. They receive additional time from teachers or teaching assistants in lessons. As a result, disadvantaged pupils currently at the school are making strong progress from their individual starting points.
• A high proportion of parents say that the school is well led and managed. Several commented on the rapid improvement since the appointment of the current headteacher and deputy headteacher. One parent said: ‘The school has come on leaps and bounds.’ This view is echoed by staff. For example, one teacher said: ‘Leaders are supportive of staff and children. They invest in our training and are making us better teachers.’

• Senior leaders have introduced thorough systems to check how well pupils are learning by completing detailed analysis of assessment information, observing lessons and looking at pupils’ work. Leaders use this information to allocate support for pupils who need to make better progress.
• The new phase leaders are starting to check the quality of teaching, learning and assessment in their year groups but have not yet had a significant impact on school improvement.
• Funding for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is used well to implement the advice of outside agencies to support pupils with the greatest need. However, leaders recognise the need to make better use of assessment information to identify pupils who are making slow progress and who have special educational needs and/or disabilities so that their needs can be met in lessons and through additional support.
• The local authority has provided considerable support to the school during a period when there was not a permanent headteacher or deputy headteacher. They assisted governors in appointing interim leaders and arranged consultant support to improve teaching. However, the local authority’s evaluation of the school is not accurate and does not reflect the current quality of teaching, learning and assessment, or of outcomes for pupils.

Governance of the school

• Governance has improved significantly since the previous inspection. Governors have benefited from support from the local authority and from training to improve their practice. They are increasingly providing effective strategic leadership of the school.
• Governors work closely with leaders to monitor all aspects of the school’s work. This enables them to evaluate the impact of leaders’ work to raise standards. As a result, governors know the school well and provide effective challenge to school leaders.
• Governors collect the views of parents and pupils and work hard in the community to develop positive relationships. One governor stated: ‘We have moved from a position of opposition to partnership with our parents.’ This view is supported by parents who recognise the improvements within the school.
• Governors complete annual skills audits and use this information to plan their training and to identify priorities when recruiting new governors. As a result, the governing body has a wide range of skills which enable them to support the school well.
• Governors monitor safeguarding closely and ensure that leaders follow school policies correctly and use safe recruitment practices when appointing new staff.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. There is a culture of vigilance in the school, which ensures that pupils are safe and possible concerns are identified quickly.

• Regular training and weekly updates are provided for all staff in relation to safeguarding.
• Induction meetings ensure that new staff understand school safeguarding and child protection policies and procedures.
• Pupils have a good knowledge of e-safety. They understand the risks and how to manage them. Workshops for parents enable them to understand how to support their children to stay safe online.

• The pastoral team monitors records about behaviour incidents and attendance closely. Any concerns are recorded and leaders review information to identify whether additional support for pupils is needed. Referrals to outside agencies are made in a timely manner.
• The school site is secure and access by visitors carefully controlled. Potential risks are considered carefully before educational visits.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• The quality of teaching and learning is too variable. Teachers do not have consistently high expectations of what pupils can achieve. In too many lessons, work is either too easy or too hard for pupils. In some cases, the most able pupils are not challenged sufficiently and this means that they do not make the progress they are capable of.

• In some lessons, teachers do not check the work that pupils are doing closely enough. This results in pupils making errors that are not always identified or pupils working on tasks that are too easy.
• The use of teaching assistants to support pupils varies. In many lessons, teaching assistants are effective in providing support at the right times. However, there are also occasions where teaching assistants do not respond to pupils’ needs effectively when pupils are stuck.
• The questioning skills of teachers and teaching assistants vary. At its best, questioning is used to help pupils to develop and improve their ideas. For example, in a Year 5 English lesson, pupils were asked to justify why they had used descriptive language in a character description. However, there are examples where questions do not make pupils focus on the errors they are making.

• The teaching of writing is improving. Teachers have high expectations of pupils to write with a clear purpose. For example, in a Year 6 lesson, the teacher modelled how to use similes, metaphors and inference to create atmosphere. Pupils then used these techniques in their own writing.
• The leadership team’s priority of improving writing is reflected in the school environment. Pupils’ work often demonstrates the increased expectation for handwriting and presentation across the curriculum. Pupils receive regular handwriting lessons. Work of a high standard is displayed so that pupils can see good practice and learn from it. However, teachers do not always model good handwriting when marking pupils’ books. As a consequence, pupils do not always write well.
• Teachers use challenging texts to support pupils to develop reading skills. This enables pupils to understand how authors use different techniques to engage the reader.
• Pupils are increasingly able to explain how they write for different purposes, particularly in Years 5 and 6. For example, they can explain how they choose words or phrases to describe a character or the setting when they write stories.
• Phonics teaching varies in quality. Adults model sounds correctly, but do not always consider what pupils already know or can do when they are setting activities. Consequently, pupils are not always provided with enough challenge and do not make rapid progress.
• In mathematics, teaching includes the use of practical resources and images to develop pupils’ understanding. For example, Year 4 pupils make physical models of numbers to show their understanding of place value and this enables them to complete calculations accurately.
• Pupils, and the vast majority of parents, value the school’s approach to homework. Pupils say that they enjoy choosing from a selection of activities across each half term, which enables them to complete work in English, mathematics and the wider curriculum. One parent commented that her two children look forward to doing homework now, whereas in the past they were reluctant.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school's work to promote pupils' personal development and welfare is good.

• Staff and governors are successful in ensuring that the school provides a safe environment in which pupils can learn. As a result, pupils are friendly, confident, sociable and inquisitive.
• Pupils say that they enjoy lunchtimes. They have access to equipment so that they can play games, and quiet areas where they can sit and talk with their friends.
• Pupils have a good understanding of how to stay safe, including when online. Pupils can explain what they should do if they are concerned about what they access on the internet.
• The new school council enables pupils to share their ideas and contribute to decisions about the school. This has recently included discussions about the curriculum and equipment for the playground. This is supporting leaders in taking actions to make improvements.
• Pupils confidently answer questions and share their ideas during whole-class discussions and when working in pairs or small groups.
• Parents recognise the improvements made to the school by the senior leadership team and almost all say that their children are cared for and feel safe. Several parents commented that their children look forward to coming to school and enjoy learning.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils respond to leaders’ high expectations and, consequently, behaviour has improved significantly. Pupils’ positive behaviour enables almost all lessons to run smoothly. However, some teachers have to manage occasional low-level disruption.
• Pupils move around the school calmly and sensibly, showing courtesy and respect for adults and each other. Pupils were keen to know if inspectors were enjoying their visit to the school.
• Leaders know pupils well and provide effective support for those pupils with identified behavioural difficulties. This includes the deployment of teaching assistants, who help pupils to focus on tasks. Leaders work well with outside agencies to seek specialist advice. They use this advice effectively to meet the needs of individuals.
• Pupils’ understanding of bullying is very well developed. Pupils in Year 1 can give an accurate definition of bullying and can explain how they can seek help if they are being bullied. One pupil in Year 2 commented that: ‘Bullies need to be helped because they do not understand how they are hurting other children.’
• Pupils’ attendance in the school is in line with national averages overall. The school’s attendance team ensures that absence is followed up every day using ‘first day calling’. There is a reward system in place to recognise high attendance with certificates.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Children typically enter the school with skills that are average or above average for their age and leave the early years with a good level of development that is above the national average. Many children make good progress from their starting points, but the most able are not sufficiently challenged. Consequently, the most able children do not make enough progress, particularly in reading and writing.
• In 2016, key stage 1 outcomes in reading were high compared to the national average. Key stage 1 outcomes in writing, mathematics and science were lower than the national average in 2016. In 2017, outcomes in writing and mathematics improved. However, they declined in reading.
• Progress in key stage 1 is inconsistent. In the past, middle ability pupils made less progress than other pupils. The progress made by middle ability pupils currently at the school is improving because of better teaching, but is not yet consistently good.
• In 2016, attainment in reading and mathematics was above the national average at key stage 2. In writing, key stage 2 attainment was below the national average in 2016. The standards at the end of key stage 2 improved in 2017 in each of reading, writing and mathematics.
• Progress in reading, writing and mathematics also improved in 2017 in key stage 2, but there were wide variations for different groups of pupils. For example, middle ability pupils made significantly less progress than higher ability pupils in reading. Disadvantaged pupils made less progress than non-disadvantaged pupils in mathematics.
• Rates of progress for current pupils are improving in reading, writing and mathematics but are not yet good. Leaders recognise the need to add greater challenge for all pupils and particularly the most able.
• Outcomes in subjects other than English and mathematics are not yet good. Leaders’ focus on English and mathematics has not been extended to other areas. Leaders have identified the need to improve teaching, learning and assessment across the curriculum so that pupils make better progress across the school.
• In 2017, at the end of key stage 2, the small numbers of disadvantaged pupils at the school made faster progress than non-disadvantaged pupils nationally in reading and writing but slower progress in mathematics. Disadvantaged pupils make good progress from their starting points.
• Pupils who have been identified as having special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress from their starting points because they are well supported in lessons and receive additional support to address their specific needs.

Early years provision

Requires improvement

• The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inconsistent in the early years. As a result, learning does not always build on the children’s starting points so they do not always make the progress they are capable of. For example, the most able children who enter the early years with reading skills which are above that expected for their age are not sufficiently challenged in phonics activities.
• Children typically enter the school with skills that are similar to those of children of the same age or older. The proportion of children moving into Year 1 achieving a good level of development has been consistently higher than the national averages for many years. However, rates of progress vary for different groups of children and the most able children do not always make as much progress as they should. For example, the school’s records show that progress in the development of writing skills for the most able children is too slow.
• The quality of interactions between adults and pupils varies. When they work well, adults use questions to enable children to extend learning from the starting point of their play. For example, a group of children playing in the sand tray were encouraged to use a range of implements to fill socks with sand and describe what they saw. On other occasions, adults supervise rather than interact with children. This prevents children from extending their learning as much as they could.
• Although there are opportunities for children to complete activities which build on the input from class teachers, these are not always planned to take into account the various abilities of the children. For example, a group of children who were using fishing nets to retrieve letters from a water tray were not challenged to practise blending them to make words. They did not build on what they had learned in the earlier phonics lesson.
• Electronic and paper records of children’s achievements enable teachers and the early years leader to evidence the standards achieved by each child. However, this information is not always used to plan challenging activities for children.
• Parents have access to children’s records and this means that they are well informed about their children’s progress and can support them at home.
• Nursery and Reception classes take place in a stimulating environment. Children from both classes share an outside space which is set up to provide activities in all areas of learning. This provides the children with access to a broad range of experiences, which stimulate their interests and enables younger children to learn from older children.
• Children behave well in lessons. Almost all children sustain interest in their chosen activities and play sensibly together. Children work together successfully and this enables them to solve problems, such as how to build an aeroplane.
• Staff make sure that children are safe, both indoors and outside. Routines are established that enable children to make the most of learning opportunities. Close supervision ensures that children use equipment and move around the early years areas safely.
• Effective support, including one-to-one supervision, is provided for children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. This enables these children to access tasks and interact with their classmates successfully.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 131456 Hertfordshire 10022971 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Voluntary aided 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 221 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Simon Ezequiel Karen Cohen 01923855631 www.cloreshalom.herts.sch.uk admin@cloreshalom.herts.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 3–4 March 2015

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.

• Clore Shalom Primary School is an average-sized primary school.
• Most pupils are from the Jewish community.
• The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below average.
• Most pupils are of White British heritage.
• The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is around the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who are disadvantaged and supported by the pupil premium is well below average.
• The school meets the government’s current national floor standards, which set the minimum requirements for pupils’ attainment and progress.
• The headteacher was appointed in January 2017.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching and learning in every class. Some observations were completed jointly with the headteacher and deputy headteacher.
• Inspectors looked through a range of pupils’ work in different subjects.
• Inspectors spoke to two groups of pupils and had discussions with other pupils around the school, including at break times.
• Inspectors considered the views of 131 parents who completed Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, and those who met with inspectors at the end of the school day.
• Inspectors made observations of pupils’ behaviour at lunchtime, when pupils were moving in and around the school and during lessons.
• Meetings were held with staff, governors, senior leaders and representatives from the local authority.
• Meetings were also held with the school’s leaders of English, mathematics and early years, and with the two special educational needs coordinators.
• Inspectors considered a range of documentation, including information relating to pupils’ attainment and progress and leaders’ evaluation of the school’s performance and areas for development.
• Inspectors looked at behaviour records, including records of bullying incidents.
• Inspectors reviewed safeguarding documentation and how this related to daily practice, as well as speaking with staff and pupils.

Inspection team

Keith Pullen, lead inspector Jo Coton

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector