Henry Green Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Secure greater consistency in the teaching of reading so that all pupils make good or better progress in key stage 2.
• Ensure that the most able pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, make rapid progress in mathematics by:
  • offering more opportunities for pupils to practise using their mathematical skills to solve a wider range of problems in subjects across the curriculum
  • ensuring that lesson activities enable the most able pupils to extend and deepen their understanding more effectively.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher is ambitious for all who work and learn at the school. She has a clear vision and an unremitting drive for further improvement which is evident throughout the school. Leaders have worked hard to ensure that the ethos of ‘Aspire’ (Achieve, Succeed, Persevere, Inspire, Respect, Enjoy) permeates the school. Staff, governors, parents and pupils share the school’s ethos. Their collective drive to achieve common goals is a real strength of the school.
• Changes to the leadership team since the previous inspection have meant that there is greater capacity to drive up standards. Leaders are determined to ensure that all pupils achieve their full potential. Indeed, the school’s transformation is evident to all and encapsulated by parents, one of whom told inspectors ‘The school has been on a great journey and it’s a lot more organised. My girls are very happy.’
• Parents feel that the school is very responsive to their views. They state that they are well informed about their children’s progress. A large number of parents appreciate the workshops offered by the school. One who attended a phonics workshop said that the school is ‘very good at teaching you new ways of supporting your child’.
• The headteacher ensures that all teachers are held firmly to account for the impact their teaching has on the progress pupils make. Where underperformance occurs, she takes decisive action to challenge teachers and to support them to improve their practice.
• Senior and middle leaders work together to strengthen the quality of teaching so that pupils’ achievement can be raised still further. Leaders rigorously monitor the school’s performance. They regularly check on the quality of teaching and the progress made by different groups of pupils. Thus, leaders can plan, prioritise and implement focused strategies to secure continuous improvements. This is particularly so in reading, following the disappointing Year 6 results in 2016. Any pupils at risk of underachieving and any gaps in older pupils’ learning are addressed through a well-planned programme of activities to boost pupils’ progress.
• Professional development and training are tailored to the priorities of the school and to individual teachers’ needs. Teachers benefit from a range of training and support to improve their performance. Leaders are highly effective role models for good and better practice. They coach and mentor their colleagues well. Those new to post this academic year spoke enthusiastically to inspectors about the induction programme the school runs.
• The curriculum is planned well and supports pupils’ good progress. Their learning is enriched through visits, visitors and workshops, such as Roman and Greek days, and sports, arts and science weeks. Pupils also benefit from a specialist art teacher.
• The school’s allocated physical education (PE) and sport premium funding has provided additional coaching, resources and training for staff. Pupils have also benefited from increased opportunities to experience non-traditional sports such as judo. The focus on sport, which begins with the breakfast club and continues throughout the day, has a very positive impact on pupils’ well-being, health and self-esteem.
• The emphasis given to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development through the curriculum prepares pupils well for their future roles as members of a community. One Year 6 girl commented that she worked hard as a school ambassador to improve the reading material for pupils new to the school who are in the early stages of learning English. She wanted such pupils to enjoy reading in their own language and to benefit from reading a wider range of material. Another Year 5 boy spoke knowledgeably and enthusiastically about politics and the value of tolerance in relation to religion and race. The school promotes British values well.
• Leaders’ promotion of personal development is excellent. Pupils are keen learners who support each other very well in their learning. Relationships between pupils are warm and considerate.
• The school makes effective use of additional funding to provide extra support for disadvantaged pupils in lessons and for smaller-group work. Such strategies are helping these pupils to improve their attainment and progress.
• Leaders have fully embraced the support offered by the local authority. They value and benefit from the collaborative partnership established with a cluster of eight schools. This strong partnership serves as a highly effective platform to share good practice, and helps to secure accurate assessments across the school. Teacher assessments are checked by leaders through regular pupil progress meetings. Cross-checking judgements across the schools provides further confidence that assessments are accurate.

Governance of the school

• Governors challenge the school and regularly hold leaders to account. They emphasised to inspectors that they like to look and see for themselves the day-to-day experiences that pupils have at school. Governors ask questions of leaders in order to deepen their understanding, particularly in relation to school improvement. They are fully aware of why pupils performed as they did in the past and that it is essential that each year group makes good progress.
• Governors have managed staff changes well. They have used their expertise effectively to recruit highly competent new staff who have quickened the pace of improvements.
• Governors understand the impact that the quality of teaching has on pupils’ performance. They are involved in determining salary progression from the outcomes of the management of teachers’ performance. They know what the school is doing to tackle any underperformance.
• Parents are invited to regular governors’ coffee mornings and this helps governors understand parental views of the school. This also helps to address any issues or misconceptions.
• Financial matters are scrutinised carefully by governors. They have a good understanding of the impact of the various funding streams, including pupil premium funding, PE and sport premium and special educational needs funding.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The culture of safeguarding within the school is strong. Robust safeguarding procedures mean that leaders are quickly alerted to any concerns. Staff have a thorough understanding of the signals that could indicate when a child might be at risk.
• A governor with safeguarding responsibility regularly works with leaders to make sure that policies and procedures are working effectively. Safeguarding is a standard item on the agenda for governing body meetings so that governors are regularly updated.
• School leaders work well with a range of outside agencies to ensure that any concerns are followed up appropriately. They have also worked with social services to re-open cases where concerns have remained.
• Leaders ensure that recruitment checks on new members of staff are well organised and thorough.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Leaders’ work to improve the quality of teaching has been successful. Teaching now secures good or better rates of progress for all groups of pupils across each key stage.
• Great strides have been made in improving the teaching of writing. Pupils write with accurate use of grammar, punctuation and spelling. In a Year 2 lesson, pupils wrote lengthy letters of advice to a character in a story. They understood the key features of letter writing. They confidently discussed the strengths and weaknesses observed in their writing in front of the entire class.
• Phonics teaching in key stage 1 is much improved. A consistent approach to the teaching of reading has strengthened pupils’ early reading skills. This has lifted the phonics screening check results while raising reading standards.
• Leaders have raised the profile of reading across the school and invested heavily in resources, including new reading books with more challenging texts for the most able pupils. The school library is being refurbished and all classrooms have an inviting reading area.
• The English leader is an effective role model for the teaching of reading. She works with those colleagues who need extra support, to eliminate inconsistencies in the quality of teaching. She provides good guidance for planning and sets clear expectations for the learning and progress in each year group. Specific reading skills are taught in small groups with purposeful activities, enabling pupils to apply and extend their reading skills independently. Adults are adept at asking pupils questions to deepen their understanding of the text.
• The mathematics leader has tried out a new approach to teaching mathematics. She is making sure that successful strategies are adopted by staff to speed up progress still further, through team teaching and planning. Activities encourage pupils to develop their mathematical skills, knowledge and understanding through the use of practical equipment. They apply their understanding in problem-solving situations. Mathematics is taught well, resulting in good achievement across the school. Nonetheless, there are too few opportunities for pupils, especially the most able, to apply their mathematical knowledge in a variety of ways in subjects other than in mathematics. Work in books demonstrates that pupils occasionally complete work which does not make them think hard enough about their learning. Indeed, the most able pupils commented that they would like more challenging work in this area.
• Art is taught well and this is reflected in the high-quality artwork throughout the school. For example, pupils develop strong skills in the use of colour, line and tone. Art is a subject which the pupils talk animatedly about.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• The headteacher has developed a learning culture and ethos which promotes excellent attitudes to learning. Pupils work together, asking each other for advice and help in lessons. This lends itself to a highly collaborative atmosphere where all contributions are valued and welcomed. Pupils’ achievements are celebrated and they are immensely proud of their school.
• Pupils are able to articulate clearly how to improve their skills in learning; for example, ‘never giving up’ when a task might be too difficult. Pupils are resilient and reflective learners.
• Warm and caring relationships between staff and pupils ensure that pupils feel very safe and secure. Pupils know what to do if they are worried about anything. They say adults and friends are always on hand to provide help and reassurance whenever needed.
• Pupils are kind to each other. Pupils know what bullying is and say it rarely occurs. School records support this view and indicate leaders’ swift and thorough responses to any concerns. At the time of the inspection, it was anti-bullying week and a number of successful school activities reinforced key messages. For example, in Year 3 pupils were asked to be ‘agony aunts’ to give advice to pupils suffering from different types of bullying. Pupils shared concerns and advice exceptionally well. This aspect of the school’s work fosters highly responsible and respectful young people, equipping them very well for their next stage of education.
• Pupils spoke highly about the school council’s influence on improving the school. The new ambassador system is also helping more pupils to have a voice in the future of the school. Pupils are able to discuss and debate issues in a mature and considered way.
• Pupils have an excellent understanding of democracy and how to be a good citizen. They also value the teaching of religious education and the opportunity to celebrate different religious festivals throughout the year. They have a strong awareness of cultural identity and look forward to exploring the different cultures and languages that are promoted each month.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils consistently respond well to instructions and low-level disruption in lessons is unusual.
• There is a very positive ethos in and around the school and pupils conduct themselves well throughout the day. They are quick to help each other, as demonstrated by an older pupil helping a younger pupil to put his coat on a peg that was out of reach.
• Pupils are polite and courteous and welcoming to visitors. They are proud of their school and are keen to give their opinions on it.
• The work of school leaders to improve levels of attendance has been successful. Attendance rates are in line with the national average. The attendance of disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is improving and is currently almost at the national averages.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• In 2016, all groups of pupils in Year 2 and Year 6 made rapid progress in their writing, resulting in well above average attainment. The key stage 2 results placed the school in the top 10% of schools with a similar intake. School achievement information and work in pupils’ books confirms that pupils continue to make excellent progress in writing.
• Most pupils are currently making good progress in mathematics. In 2016, overall attainment was in line with the national average by the end of Years 2 and 6. School information and work in pupils’ books verifies that the pace of learning for current pupils is accelerating and is consistently good. As a result, attainment levels in mathematics are rising. Nevertheless, although the most able pupils achieved well in key stage 1 in 2016, too few pupils achieved in greater depth in key stage 2, especially the most able disadvantaged pupils.
• There has been a concerted effort to raise achievement in reading through the systematic teaching of phonics. As a result, the proportion of pupils attaining the expected standard in Year 1 has improved year on year and was well above average in 2016. Attainment in reading is above average in key stage 1, because pupils make good or better progress. School information confirms that most pupils made good progress in this subject across key stage 2 last year. However, gaps remain in some older pupils’ reading skills. Year 6 pupils did not achieve as well as they were capable from their different starting points, including the most able pupils and the most able disadvantaged pupils.
• Leaders are wisely focused on making sure that any pupil at risk of underachieving in reading is quickly identified and targeted for additional support. Additional activities in phonics help older pupils to use their phonics skills well to tackle unfamiliar words. Inconsistencies in rates of progress are being eliminated rapidly. Pupils told inspectors that they love reading and know that it is important to help them find out facts in subjects across the curriculum. Pupils talk enthusiastically about many favourite authors and books.
• In the 2016 key stage 2 test, the proportion of pupils who achieved the expected level in the use of grammar, punctuation and spelling was at the national average.
• Disadvantaged pupils are currently making good progress across the school. The school uses clear information about the progress made by current pupils to ensure they do not fall behind others. Where progress in reading is not as strong, additional support is having an increasing impact to help pupils to catch up more quickly.
• Through effective use of additional special educational needs funds, pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are making better progress than in the past. The special educational needs lead teacher has made sure that pupils have specific individual educational plans to address and support their learning needs effectively. She supports pupils in lessons as well as making sure that their individualised programmes are being implemented on a daily basis. The impact of these plans is reviewed every six weeks to ensure that pupils make good progress.
• Pupils achieve well in a range of subjects across the curriculum. Attainment in science in 2016 was above average in Year 6. Work in pupils’ books demonstrates a clear emphasis on developing their scientific knowledge, understanding and enquiry skills. Pupils are also making good progress in the arts subjects and physical education.
• Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

Early years provision Good

• Leaders have improved the quality of teaching in the early years since the previous inspection, so that children make good progress. Rising achievement at the end of the early years ensures that children are well prepared with the skills and knowledge needed to learn successfully during Year 1.
• There has been a steady increase in the proportion of children achieving a good level of development at the end of the Reception Year over the past three years. In 2016, the proportion achieving a good level of development was above the national average. Learning journals and teachers’ assessments illustrate children’s good progress.
• Children have good access to outdoor learning. The outdoor environment is a vibrant and engaging place. It is well resourced, with a wide range of challenging activities, including good-quality climbing and balance equipment, to promote all the areas of learning.
• Children are happy, busy and behave well. They show independence and positive attitudes to learning and concentrate on activities for some time. They are articulate and confident with visitors. Children are safe and well looked after.
• The leader of the early years provision ensures that parents are kept well informed about the progress of their children. Parents have attended workshops in school to support children’s reading skills.
• Disadvantaged children make good progress and attain as well as others nationally. Leadership makes sure that good support is provided to prevent these children from falling behind.
• Most staff undertake detailed observations of children’s progress. This information is carefully recorded and contributes well to the planning of future work.

School details

Unique reference number 101229 Local authority Barking and Dagenham Inspection number 10019658 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 Community 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 463 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Brian Lester Paramjit Roopra 0208 270 4466 www.henrygreen.org.uk/ office@henrygreen.bardaglea.org.uk Date of previous inspection 18–19 November 2014

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school is larger than the average primary school.
• Pupils come from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds, with around a third being White British. The other main ethnic groups are Pakistani, Black African and Eastern European. Around two thirds of pupils speak English as an additional language and this proportion is well above the national average.
• Children in the early years provision attend school part time for mornings or afternoons in the Nursery and then full time in the two Reception classes.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is slightly below the national average. The proportion who have an education, health and care plan is below average.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium funding is above the national average.
• The school collaborates with a local cluster of eight schools.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set out the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in Year 6.
• There has been a high turnover of senior leaders and staff since the previous inspection in November 2014.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors made a series of visits to lessons to observe teaching and learning, undertook two learning walks and looked at work in pupils’ books. Several observations were undertaken with senior leaders.
• Inspectors spoke with a representative from the local authority; they also met with the chair of governors and three other governors, the headteacher, deputy headteacher, senior leaders, middle leaders, and three groups of pupils. Inspectors also spoke informally to pupils around the site and in lessons, and to parents at the school gates.
• Inspectors listened to a number of pupils from key stage 1 and key stage 2 read.
• A range of documentation was scrutinised, including: planning and monitoring documents; the school development plan; records relating to behaviour and attendance; and information on safeguarding and staff training.
• Inspectors took account of 18 pupil responses to the online questionnaire, 37 staff questionnaires and 20 parents’ responses on Parent View.
• One of Her Majesty’s Inspectors visited the school on 13 January 2017 to complete the inspection. She visited two lessons, reviewed pupils’ work in books and considered school documents relating to teaching and pupil outcomes. She also listened to older pupils read, talked to senior and middle leaders, and members of the governing body, including the chair and vice-chair.

Inspection team

Liz Smith, lead inspector Anna Bosher Milan Stevanovic Mary Hinds

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector