Edgware Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Strengthen the quality of teaching and learning by ensuring that teachers:
  • maximise learning by moving pupils on to the next task when it is clear that they are ready for harder work
  • encouraging pupils to persevere with a task, and not to give up and ask for help when they could complete the challenge themselves.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The dynamic headteacher, ably supported by senior leaders, middle leaders and governors, is ensuring that the right actions are being taken to develop the school further. Leaders are ambitious and have high expectations for the school. They are relentless in tackling the few remaining weaker aspects of provision.
• Leaders monitor teaching and pupils’ progress rigorously. They use performance management effectively to ensure that teachers are supported and challenged to help them to succeed. Teachers are clear about how they can improve their work and training is carefully chosen to have the best impact on the pupils’ progress.
• The curriculum is designed to promote good learning across subjects. Topic work is varied and interesting. The range of additional activities, including clubs, visits and visitors, contributes well to pupils’ learning.
• The school prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain by teaching about topics such as kindness, freedom of speech and tolerance. The wide range of cultures represented by pupils at the school is respected and celebrated. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted strongly across subjects. For example, pupils learn about various topics such as Mayan art, the British parliament and Islamic civilisation.
• Funding for disadvantaged pupils is used well to ensure that there are no reasons why these pupils should not do as well as others nationally. They receive help tailored to their specific needs in lessons. Families are given support so that pupils are included in all the activities the school offers.
• Leaders spend the funding for special educational needs and/or disabilities effectively. These pupils have the right equipment and resources to help them to learn. Members of staff support them well in lessons, without stifling them. As a result, they are confident and independent in their learning.
• The physical education and sport premium is used well to provide specialist in-school training in a range of activities. Sports coaches work alongside teachers to make sure that the pupils develop a range of skills. For example, in Year 5, pupils were refining their skills in throwing in the shot-put and soft javelin. Pupils are enthusiastic about physical education and take part in competitions in the local area.
• The school has prioritised its partnership with parents. Strong support is available for vulnerable families, and parents are positive about the work of the school. Parents are enjoying the new home projects. For example, they recently worked with their children to design and make miniature gardens. Parents have noticed improvements in the school. For example, one parent said, ‘The school is getting better every day.’

Governance of the school

• Governance is effective.
• Governors are clear about what works well and what remains to be done. They are proactive in finding out for themselves how well pupils are learning, by looking at samples of pupils’ work and school assessment information.
• Governors have carried out an analysis of their skills and have provided training, or appointed new governors, to fill any gaps in expertise.
• Governors make sure that school leaders support and challenge teaching through performance management and are fully aware of their responsibilities in keeping the pupils safe.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders make sure that there is a safety-conscious culture at the school. All members of staff are checked for suitability for working with children and are kept up to date with their training.
• All members of staff spoken to during the inspection were clear about what they should do if a pupil came to them with a concern. They also knew what to look out for to ensure that pupils are kept safe. Assessments are carried out on all activities to identify potential risks.
• Pupils are supported well in keeping safe. They understand about dangers from various talks in class on topics such as ‘looking after your body’ and ‘fire safety’. Leaders work closely with parents and external bodies to ensure that the pupils are kept safe.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers make good use of information on how well pupils are doing to provide work that builds on the pupils’ prior learning. They establish clear routines and make sure that pupils understand the purpose of their work.
• They form good relationships with the pupils and use praise to encourage them to want to learn. Pupils are generally clear about what they need to learn next.
• Teachers provide good resources to support learning. For example, pupils in Year 1 know that they can use the phonics sheets (sheets showing the sounds that letters and groups of letters represent) to support them in their writing. In Year 6, pupils made notes from a video clip of the office manager to help them plan the layout for the new school office.
• Teachers and teaching assistants support various groups of pupils effectively. They identify the specific needs of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and provide sensitive support in class.
• Teachers promote new vocabulary well and demonstrate what they would like pupils to learn clearly. This is especially helpful for those who are learning to speak English as an additional language.
• Teachers often use questioning to encourage pupils to think. Occasionally, teachers do not move pupils on to the next stage of their work as soon as they are ready. When this happens, pupils can lose concentration and their learning slows.
• In a few lessons, teachers do not make it clear when they expect pupils to persevere with a task. When this happens, pupils return to the teacher for support before they have tried sufficiently hard to tackle the work by themselves.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Learning mentors provide valuable support for pupils and their families.
• Pupils, including those with limited spoken English, gain confidence because there is strong support for their academic, physical and emotional well-being.
• Pupils know how to stay safe and feel safe at school. They are knowledgeable about safety when using the internet and understand about various types of bullying. They take notice of advice from adults such as not running towards doors. They know that they can put comments in the ‘talk boxes’ when they have a worry. All the parents who responded to Ofsted’s Parent View questionnaire agreed that their children are happy at school and feel safe.
• A few parents expressed concerns over bullying. School records show that this is reducing and pupils told inspectors that it is declining and that any incidents are dealt with to their satisfaction.
• Pupils are aware of what they need to do to be a good learner. They are enthusiastic about taking part in lessons and listen to others carefully. They typically make comments such as, ‘teachers motivate us to learn,’ and, ‘the school is way better than before’.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Leaders have reviewed the school’s behaviour policy and behaviour logs show that any remaining instances of poor behaviour are dealt with well. While pupils admit that sometimes behaviour ‘goes up and down’, they agree that the new policy is working well and behaviour is improving. There has been a significant reduction in racist remarks and the need for sanctions such as fixed-term exclusions over the past year. Most parents are positive about behaviour at the school.
• Pupils are polite to adults and work together sensibly in class. For example, in Year 6, pupils were good at working together to carry out research about Mary Anning, the fossil hunter.
• Pupils move around the school sensibly and are keen to help others by working for the school council or by being ambassadors and helping the younger pupils. Occasionally, pupils lose concentration when they have mastered a task and are waiting to move on in their learning.
• Rates of attendance were below average in 2016, but are improving this year. Some long-term absences are for pupils who have special medical needs. Leaders are working with the few families where there is persistent absence. They are providing strong support and guidance to ensure that these pupils attend school regularly.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils are making good progress across the school from their differing starting points. Leaders are rigorous in checking up on how well various groups of pupils are doing, and ensure that any at risk of falling behind receive the right support.
• Pupils are doing especially well in their writing, and use their writing and numeracy effectively to support good progress in other subjects. For example, in Year 2, pupils used imaginative noun phrases such as ‘the crunching of grass beneath my feet’ to describe their exploration of their senses.
• Changes have been made in the way phonics and reading are being taught across the school. As a result, attainment in phonics is rising and pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, make good use of their knowledge to help them in their reading and writing. Pupils heard reading were fluent and used a range of strategies to help them understand what they had read.
• Funding for disadvantaged pupils is used well to ensure that they make good progress. These pupils have not always done as well as other pupils nationally in tests. Additional training and staffing have ensured that pupils currently in the school are doing at least as well, if not better than, the other pupils, and their attainment is rising strongly.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress. They receive the right resources and level of support in class. They are given the right opportunities to work by themselves once they have understood a task.
• Pupils at the early stages of learning to speak English as an additional language are supported well by members of staff and their colleagues, enabling them to develop their spoken English quickly.
• The most able pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, make good progress over time. Occasionally, along with other pupils, they are not moved on to harder work quickly enough, or expected to persevere appropriately when the task is challenging.
• Attainment by the end of Year 6 was below the national average in 2016. Pupils’ work and school assessment information show that attainment is rising across the school and most pupils currently at the school are working within age-related expectations.
• Pupils are prepared well for the next stage of education. They are confident, and develop the necessary skills and attitudes to equip them for later life. For example, pupils in Year 6 are good at carrying out research and debating topics with their classmates.

Early years provision Good

• Children, including disadvantaged children, make good progress in the early years provision. The majority of children are working below the levels expected for their age when they join the school in either the Nursery or Reception classes. Their language skills are especially low. Attainment by the end of the Reception Year has risen over the last three years and children are now prepared well for entering Year 1.
• Teachers and teaching assistants have high expectations for the children’s behaviour. They have established a ‘have a go’ attitude towards learning. They typically encourage the children to ‘keep going’, and, as a result, children are willing to try new things and to persevere with their tasks.
• Stimulating activities ensure that the children enjoy school and are enthusiastic about learning. For example, during the inspection, children in Reception Year were very keen to follow written clues to help them find ‘Woof-Woof’, their toy dog. In Nursery, children were keen to talk about when they might see the moon or sun in the sky.
• Teachers and teaching assistants are caring and provide a safe and secure environment for the children. Well-established routines enable children to feel safe and to be confident. Teaching by all members of staff in Nursery and Reception classes is having a positive impact on the children’s outcomes.
• Children’s behaviour is good. They are calm and happy and work together sensibly. They share resources and thank each other politely. When talking about their learning towards the end of a session, they listen to each other well and wait for their turn to speak.
• Children learn about right and wrong through activities such as discussing why ‘Evil Pea’ was wrong to be ‘unkind’ and ‘nasty’ to Woof-Woof. Children are good at following the teacher’s instructions so that time is not wasted.
• Leadership is effective in bringing about improvements in the children’s progress. Funding for disadvantaged children is used effectively. A strong emphasis on developing language skills is having a particularly positive impact. Teachers ask probing questions when working with a group of children and encourage them to answer in full sentences. They support them well in using their phonics to help with their reading and writing.
• The school has strong links with parents and works closely with external agencies to make sure that children receive the support they need.
• Occasionally, members of staff miss opportunities to deepen the children’s understanding and language when children are working on tasks they have chosen for themselves. On these occasions, children’s play does not move their learning on well enough.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 101277 Barnet 10031650 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 672 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Kathryn Joy Alison Jacob 0208 9521472 www.edgwareprimary.co.uk office@edgwareprimary.co.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• Edgware Primary is larger than the average-sized primary school.
• The school was formed in September 2014 when the infant and junior schools of the same name amalgamated.
• There have been many changes in staffing since that time. The headteacher was appointed in January 2016.
• Pupils come to the school from a wide range of cultural backgrounds. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is high, with about half of these pupils being at the early stages of learning to speak English when they join the school. There are currently 38 different home languages spoken by the pupils.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is above average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is above average.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.

Information about this inspection

• The inspectors observed teaching and learning in 30 lessons, 10 jointly with the headteacher or one of the deputy headteachers.
• Discussions were held with leaders, other members of staff, a member of the local authority and members of the governing body.
• Inspectors held informal discussions with several parents and scrutinised 41 responses to the Ofsted Parent View questionnaire and 32 responses to the staff questionnaire.
• Pupils in Years 3 and 6 were heard reading.
• A range of information supplied by the school was checked, including the school’s own information about how well pupils are doing, planning documents and checks on the quality of teaching. The inspectors also looked at the school development plan and records relating to behaviour and attendance and safeguarding procedures.

Inspection team

Alison Cartlidge, lead inspector Rekha Bhakoo Gary Rawlings Roger Easthope

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector