Herringham Primary Academy Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of leadership and management by:
  • providing staff with the relevant professional development required to ensure that the quality and consistency of teaching, learning and assessment improves rapidly
  • ensuring that new members of the leadership team are trained well so they are effective in raising the quality of education for pupils.
• Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment by:
  • ensuring that teachers are confident in the teaching of mathematical reasoning skills
  • adults increasing expectations for the highest quality of presentation and handwriting in pupils’ work.
• Improve pupils’ outcomes by:
  • ensuring that more pupils make rapid progress and reach the required standard, especially in reading, by the end of key stage 2
  • ensuring that disadvantaged pupils make good progress and, subsequently, more reach at least the required standard in reading and mathematics by the end of key stage 2
  • making sure that pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are provided with the help and support they need to make good or better progress. An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management

Requires improvement

• Since the previous inspection, the standard of education has declined and is no longer good. The school has faced significant challenge in terms of recruiting and retaining staff and many staff are not consistently performing at the level expected by the teacher standards. Consequently, the quality of teaching, learning and assessment is variable.
• Leaders have not provided staff with the professional development that they need to improve their practice to a good standard. Some staff expressed concern that they have not received appropriate career development.
• Parents’ and carers’ views were mixed on Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View. Some expressed worries about the way leaders manage behaviour. Inspection evidence showed that past concerns were taken seriously by school leaders and dealt with appropriately. No other well-founded concerns were evident.
• The head of school and the senior team know what the school does well and what still needs to improve. There are plans in place and new members of the leadership team take up their roles in September 2018. However, it is not yet evident what impact these will have on school improvement.
• Leaders’ use of additional funds, such as the pupil premium, is not as effective as it should be. Leaders do not evaluate precisely enough the impact their spending is having on increasing the progress that disadvantaged pupils make. Disadvantaged pupils make inconsistent progress over time.
• The trust has provided leadership support to year groups where teaching has not been as strong. However, the impact of this work on improving the consistency and quality of teaching has been limited.
• The inclusion leader has detailed knowledge of the needs of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. Achievable, yet challenging targets are set for these pupils. However, while some pupils are provided with well-considered learning activities that meet their needs, others are not. This leads to the provision for these pupils being inconsistently effective.
• The trust has a curriculum used in all their schools. Where teacher subject knowledge was seen to be stronger, pupils’ progress over time was evident in their books. However, in some classes and subjects, there was no clear progression, and this results in pupils’ outcomes being inconsistent across classes and subjects.
• Leaders provide well for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education. Pupils are encouraged to reflect on moral issues on a regular basis. In a recent whole-school theme, for example, pupils considered environmental issues such as deforestation, reducing food waste and plastic pollution.
• There is a strong school ethos based around 10 key values, such as magnanimity, resilience and aspiration. Pupils enjoy the rewards they receive for demonstrating these values in class.
• Leaders have used the physical education (PE) and sport premium funding effectively to fund a number of extra-curricular clubs. They focus on activities that the pupils are less likely to be able to access out of school, for example fencing and archery.

Governance of the school

• The local governing body is knowledgeable about the strengths and weaknesses of the school and fulfil the statutory requirements well. Governors are very aware of the challenges the school faces. Governors visit the school to talk with pupils and listen to them read.
• The progress and attainment of disadvantaged pupils is regularly discussed, but governors have spent less time evaluating the impact of the funding.
• The trust provides robust challenge to senior leaders about pupils’ achievement through their progress boards. However, this is not always followed through to check the impact of the challenge posed.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• There is a strong culture of safeguarding and adults adhere to school policies to ensure the well-being of pupils.
• Staff ensure that they liaise with external agencies swiftly so that pupils and families in need of early help receive the precise support they need. The school’s records are well kept.
• Leaders have recently employed ‘children’s advocates’. These staff work closely with families in the community. They are relatively new to their responsibilities and the impact of their work is not yet fully evident.
• Nearly all pupils and staff, and the vast majority of parents, feel that pupils are safe in school.
• Staff receive regular training in how to keep pupils safe and receive regular updates when needed. New staff are clear on their safeguarding responsibilities following their induction programme.
• Governors and the trust ensure that new staff have appropriate employment checks before starting work.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• The quality of teaching, learning and assessment across the school is too variable. Where the quality of teaching is weaker, pupils are not being provided with the opportunity to make the best possible progress. Where teaching is strongest, pupils thrive.
• Some teachers provide the same activities irrespective of pupils’ starting points. This results in work that is too hard for the lower-attaining pupils and too easy for the most able. Therefore, neither group of pupils do as well as they are capable of. Where pupils are provided with work that is better suited to their needs, they make good progress.
• Presentation in pupils’ books is often untidy. Some pupils have a poor pencil grip and produce poorly formed letters that go unchecked in key stage 1. Where adults insist on the highest standard of presentation and handwriting, for example in upper key stage 2, pupils’ work is much neater, and pupils are proud to show off their achievements.
• The teaching of phonics is a strength at this school. Regular training and monitoring by the reading leader ensures that their chosen approach provides pupils with consistency and appropriate challenge. Pupils make good progress as a result.
• English work in older year groups is sometimes taught well and pupils’ writing skills are strong. However, in some classes, writing activities do not provide a clear progression of skills, creating gaps in pupils’ learning. Pupils are often too reliant on the teacher to explain vocabulary so they can understand challenging texts.
• Teachers use the school’s chosen mathematics scheme well with younger pupils. The pupils are confident using practical resources to learn about the value of numbers. However, teachers’ subject knowledge of how to improve pupils’ mathematical reasoning and explaining answers is not well developed and pupils are not confident in these areas.
• The teaching in science and art is strong. Pupils have opportunities to develop their scientific knowledge and understanding in a range of different ways. Pupils use scientific vocabulary well in their explanations and demonstrate an interest and enjoyment in this subject. In art, the displays around the school show a wealth of experience linked to the common curriculum themes for each term. Pupils show progress in science and art skills year on year.
• Support staff are generally used effectively for small-group sessions, particularly in phonics teaching, and to support whole classes. However, their work is not closely monitored and their impact on the progress of pupils, for example those pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium funding, has been limited.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils feel safe. They know who to talk to if they are worried about anything.
• Pupils are aware of what discrimination is and are clear that they would not accept it if it happened in their school.
• Leaders have made effective links with several external organisations and this has enhanced the personal development of the pupils involved. For example, pupils were seen performing a ballet dance based on ‘Swan Lake’ and they had also been involved in set design, all working with the Royal Opera House.
• Pupils are encouraged to have high aspirations, some working with Cambridge University to enhance their understanding of what is possible after leaving school.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Some parents and pupils expressed concerns about poor behaviour in classes. The school logs show that any incidents have been appropriately dealt with. During the inspection, behaviour in classes was generally calm, with little low-level disruption. Pupils were less well behaved when instructions from staff were unclear or when there was a change to the pupils’ timetable.
• School logs show that, where there has been higher-level disruptive behaviour, this has been dealt with in a supportive manner. Leaders work closely with a local alternative provider; several pupils have had placements at the provision.
• Around the site, pupils behave very well. Movement from class to assembly was quiet and orderly. Pupils listened respectfully to presentations from fellow pupils and were seen to enjoy playtimes and play well together.
• Pupils spoken to were polite and friendly. They were positive about their school.
• Parents are kept informed about their children’s behaviour in school using an online system. Pupils receive rewards for showing any of the 10 key values in their work or behaviour. Most parents access this system. The same system is used to share celebration moments with parents. For example, a video of an assembly enabled those parents who were not able to attend to also see this.
• Attendance rates are broadly in line with national averages. The attendance lead from the trust works closely with school-based staff. Support for families whose children have poor attendance focuses on individual circumstances. A wide range of provision is put in place that helps these pupils successfully attend school.
• Systems for monitoring absence are effective. School leaders and the pastoral support team make regular home visits where there are concerns about pupils’ welfare. This has had a positive impact on persistent absence rates, which have fallen since last year.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Pupils are not achieving as well as they should. In 2017, the progress pupils made from key stage 1 to key stage 2 was below average in writing and mathematics, and well below average in reading.
• Leaders had received the unvalidated key stage 2 results by the time of inspection. These results indicate that pupils attained a combined score at the expected level in reading, writing and mathematics slightly above that of 2017.
• The proportions of children achieving a good level of development at the end of the early years and the expected standard at key stage 1 in reading, writing and mathematics over the last three years are broadly in line with national averages.
• The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check in 2017 is broadly in line with the national average.
• In-school assessment information on the progress of disadvantaged pupils shows that they are making progress, more so in the past year, but this is not yet enough to catch up with non-disadvantaged pupils.
• School assessment information for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities shows that some of these pupils are making limited progress. The inclusion leader is clear on what detailed steps these pupils need to make to move forward, but the implementation of this in class is not always in place.
• Although there have been slight improvements in the proportion of Year 6 pupils achieving the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, current Year 6 pupils are still not achieving what they need to ensure that they are securely ready for the next stages of their education.
• Pupils’ achievement in the wider curriculum is variable. Where there is stronger teaching, such as in science and art, pupils make better progress.

Early years provision Good

• Children make strong progress in their time in the early years.
• Children’s learning journals show a wide range of experiences during their time in Reception, with a high emphasis on developing fine motor skills ready for writing. A number of children were seen to still have a poor pencil grip. School leaders are aware of this as a potential barrier to developing good letter and number formation.
• The early years curriculum is linked to the whole-school themes for each term – enabling children to take part in the termly whole-school workshops. Staff in the early years spend time finding out where children’s knowledge of a topic lies before planning ways to expand it further.
• The school works well with parents to build up a positive working relationship. During the inspection, a ‘fun with phonics’ event was seen. Children and their parents were invited in to play in the early years classroom. Activities laid out were those that parents could easily replicate at home, all focused on early reading and developing motor skills for writing. The session also included a short carpet session, demonstrating learning behaviours expected right from the start. Staff talked to parents in an informal and supportive way about any concerns they might have about their child starting school.
• There is a clear emphasis in the early years on keeping healthy. Children are reminded to drink water and activities included discussion on healthy food.
• Children in the early years are safe and well cared for. The relationships with staff are warm and the classes enjoy appropriate humour together.
• The outside environment provides for a range of experiences, a quieter den area for talking and reading, topic-linked activities for children’s interest and an obstacle course to develop physical climbing, balancing and jumping. Learning journals show clear progression of skills from the start of the year across the curriculum.
• The same phonics scheme that is used effectively in key stage 1 is also used in the early years. The consistency ensures that children have a good start to reading, linking well into Year 1.
• Children leave the early years well prepared for the next stage in their education.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 138962 Thurrock 10046104 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 Academy converter 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 419 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Chair Head of school Telephone number Website Email address Maggie Smith Sam Otto 01375 489860 www.theglc-herringham.org.uk/ sam.otto@theglc.org.uk Date of previous inspection 3 March 2015

Information about this school

• Herringham Primary Academy is part of the Gateway Learning Community Trust and is larger than the average-sized primary school.
• The school makes use of the Thurrock Excellence Trust, an alternative provider.
• The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium grant is well above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have an education, health and care plan is above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who receive additional support for special educational needs and/or disabilities is slightly below the national average.
• The school met the current government floor standards for pupils’ achievement and progress in reading, writing and mathematics in 2017.

Information about this inspection

• The inspection team observed learning in every class. Some of the observations were carried out jointly with senior leaders.
• The school had a scheduled transition day on day 2 of the inspection for pupils moving up to their next class. Some Year 6 pupils were on transition weeks at their secondary schools.
• A wide range of pupils’ workbooks were looked at by the inspection team throughout the inspection.
• The inspection team met with governors and representatives of the multi-academy trust. Inspectors also met with senior leaders and a group of newly qualified teachers.
• The inspection team spoke to pupils informally in class and around the school, before school and at lunchtimes, to seek their views about the school. An inspector also met more formally with a group of pupils.
• Children in Year 1 and Year 5 were heard reading and talked to about their reading preferences.
• The inspection team scrutinised the school website and a range of school documents, including assessment information, spending of the pupil premium and the physical education and sport premium, the school’s own self-evaluation and the school’s own development plan.
• The 82 responses made by parents in this academic year to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, were considered. The inspection team also spoke to some parents before school.
• The 29 responses to the staff questionnaire were also considered.

Inspection team

Tessa Holledge, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Andrew Hemmings Her Majesty’s Inspector Liz Smith

Ofsted Inspector