Osidge Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching by:
  • developing teachers’ ability to provide the right level of challenge for different groups of pupils, particularly the most able
  • providing more opportunities for pupils to write in depth across the wider curriculum

further developing the use of assessment to support planning and teaching so that pupils make consistently good progress in all subjects

• ensuring that pupils’ presentation of their work and handwriting is improved so that they write in a fluent, joined and legible style.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Leaders have improved the school since the previous inspection. They check the school’s work systematically and thoroughly. This gives them a clear overview of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. Planning has been effective, and actions taken to bring about improvements have been successful.
• Staff morale is high and staff share the headteacher’s commitment to the school’s future. Significant staff changes and the appointment of teachers to new roles have been followed by a more settled phase for the school. As yet, the newly appointed subject coordinators have not had time to monitor teaching and learning rigorously and so help colleagues to improve teaching further.
• The leadership team has an accurate view of the quality of teaching. Leaders provide clear feedback that contributes to the continuing improvement in teaching. They use information from their observations well to promote consistency across the school. For example, the focus on teaching reasoning and problem solving has raised pupils’ achievement in mathematics. Leaders’ literacy initiatives have strengthened pupils’ skills in reading and are contributing towards improvements in the teaching of writing.
• Although leaders have worked to promote accurate assessment of pupils’ progress, this information is not yet used to analyse the progress of groups of pupils or to set targets that can be shared with staff.
• Good use has been made of additional primary sports funding to improve the quality of sports coaching and the range of sports for pupils to try, such as dance. Coaches have been appointed to support pupils during lunchtimes. This has resulted in increased participation in a range of activities, which promote a healthy lifestyle and provide more opportunities to take part in competitive sport.
• The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. For example, in a Year 6 lesson, the religious education topic on Hinduism and India provided opportunities for pupils to learn about other cultures and to acquire a sense of wonder about an environment so different from their own.
• Most parents are positive about the school and said that their children feel safe and happy. Parents interviewed by the inspectors were highly supportive of the headteacher and the changes she has made for the betterment of the school. One parent commented, ‘There is a real drive from both the headteacher and staff to help children to reach their potential and be the best they can be.’
• The school has received good support from the local authority in checking the accuracy of its self-evaluation and the rigour of its review processes.
• The many improvements made and accurate self-evaluation, which identifies the school’s strengths and weaknesses, demonstrate leaders’ capacity for continuing improvement.

Governance of the school

• Members of the governing body are enthusiastic, supportive and effective. They have a good understanding of the school’s performance and of how it has improved.
• Governors receive regular, detailed and accurate reports from the headteacher and staff with particular responsibilities. As a result, they know how the school is performing compared with others nationally. They have made sure that they have good expertise to analyse data relating to pupils’ progress for themselves.
• They check how the pupil premium funding is spent and the impact of these actions on disadvantaged pupils’ achievement. They also know that sports funding is being used well. They regularly visit the school and ask searching and challenging questions to ensure ‘value for money’ across all areas of the school’s work. They also commission appropriate training to improve their effectiveness further.
• The governors make sure that safeguarding procedures meet requirements. Governors ensure that systems for safeguarding are regularly supported, challenged and, when necessary, improved so that pupils are kept safe.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. All leaders, including governors, place a strong emphasis on pupils’ welfare.
• Leaders have created a clear and vigilant safeguarding culture across the school. Concerns are followed up as a matter of urgency, and record-keeping is accurate. In addition, leaders’ close work with external agencies ensures that pupils and their families receive the support that they need in a timely manner.
• Staff training is up to date, and staff have a thorough understanding of their roles and responsibilities. They are aware of local issues, which could pose a risk to pupils at the school. Staff are confident about the actions to take should they have any concerns about a pupil.
• Staff have a good understanding of how to listen and respond to pupils. High levels of care and support can be seen in the work of all staff.
• Pupils reported that they feel safe in school and can share concerns with staff if they have any worries. The curriculum helps pupils to understand how to keep themselves healthy and safe. Almost all parents agree that the school is a safe, secure and happy place.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• There have been good improvements in teaching since the previous inspection. Teachers use questioning well to check pupils’ understanding and adapt their teaching. On occasion in the lessons observed, effective questioning encouraged higher-level thinking. However, it remains the case that more needs to be done to challenge the most able pupils.
• The teaching of phonics is good, both in the early years and key stage 1. Teachers plan work to match pupils’ different stages of development, making good use of well-trained teaching assistants to lead groups so that progress for all pupils is good.
• Essential reading skills are developed through a well-structured programme that is taught effectively. For example, a teacher’s energetic and challenging questioning of the reading vocabulary of Year 2 pupils generated high levels of engagement. Pupils then worked well together to construct high-quality descriptive sentences, so developing their writing skills.
• Good teaching of mathematics, including mental mathematics, problem solving and application of mathematical skills in different contexts, has led to consistently good achievement in recent years in both key stages.
• There have been some recent improvements in the teaching of writing, and current pupils are making better progress than past pupils. However, the teaching is not consistent in insisting on good presentation of work and the development of fluent joined-up handwriting. Additionally, some of the work set is insufficiently challenging and fails to engage all pupils.
• Teaching assistants are effective and deployed well in lessons to support groups or individuals with their learning. They are trained well and are particularly effective in helping pupils develop their understanding of language and vocabulary. Pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities make good progress because their individual needs are identified quickly and good, personalised support is provided.
• Pupils enjoy learning and have good relationships with the adults working with them. This supports their good progress.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• All staff have pupils’ well-being as a key priority. Pupils know that they are well cared for and they have confidence that their teachers will help them when they need it. Support is provided for pupils who need extra help, for example to develop their social skills in order to make more secure friendships.

• Pupils have many opportunities to take on responsibilities. These include being a lunchtime buddy or an assembly monitor. Pupils take these roles very seriously and talked about the impact of what they do. For example, the lunchtime buddies ensure that every child has someone to play with at lunchtimes.
• Pupils show respect, kindness and tolerance towards one another. A pupil reported, ‘This school is special because everyone is different, yet each child has their own special talents.’
• The school works well with external services to make sure that all the needs of individual pupils are well met and parents are well supported. Leaders continually promote equality of opportunity, particularly for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities.
• Pupils understand what bullying is and they are aware of some of the different forms it can take. They explained that there is very little bullying in the school because everyone respects each other. Pupils said that, if bullying occurs, they trust adults to deal with it swiftly. They know about the dangers of cyber bullying and can talk about what they would do if they were worried about something they saw on the internet.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• All adults model polite and friendly behaviour. As a result, pupils are polite and respectful to each other, and the atmosphere in school is calm and positive, with only occasional poor behaviour.
• Most pupils said that behaviour is good and that misbehaviour that occurs only involves a very small minority of pupils. School records and discussions with parents, staff and pupils show that behaviour is typically good.
• Pupils’ well-developed social skills support effective learning in a range of situations. These include, for example, when they are required to listen carefully to teachers, work as a team, or get on with tasks by themselves.
• Attendance is above average. It is good because pupils enjoy school and want to attend; and parents value the work of the school. The school has very robust systems in place to monitor attendance, especially for pupils who are persistently absent.
• Parents who responded to Parent View and to the school’s own survey stated that their children are happy, safe and well looked after, and that the school promotes good behaviour.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils’ achievement has improved since the previous inspection. In 2017, pupils’ progress in reading and mathematics was above average overall. Their attainment in reading was above average at both the expected and greater depth standards, and was average in mathematics. Pupils’ progress and attainment in writing remained below average.
• Pupils’ progress has improved over the last year. Inspection evidence suggests that attainment at the end of key stage 2 is rising and that more pupils are attaining the greater depth standard.
• In 2017, the proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in the national phonics check was slightly below average. Pupils at key stage 1 are now making good progress in their understanding of the sounds letters make. These skills help them achieve well in their reading. Progress made in writing and mathematics is also strong.
• Raising achievement in writing has been a school priority. Pupils write for a range of purposes. Their work is often interesting and imaginative. Grammar, punctuation and spelling have improved. However, inconsistencies remain.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities achieve well. All make expected progress during both key stages 1 and 2 regardless of the complexities of their needs. In lessons, these pupils make good progress because tasks are matched well to their needs and they are challenged to do their best.
• In 2017, the progress and attainment of disadvantaged pupils were lower than those of other pupils nationally. Effective use is now being made of additional funding to teach and support the pupils who are known to be eligible for the pupil premium. Individual programmes and additional class support contribute to these pupils’ good progress. Their progress is tracked well and there are good procedures to ensure that they do not slip behind.

Early years provision Good

• Children make rapid progress in all areas of learning and, as a result, the proportion of children leaving the Reception Year achieving a good level of development is above average. An increasing number of children, including those who are disadvantaged, are reaching the higher standard in many areas of learning.
• Children make good progress in the early years because of well-planned and purposeful learning activities. Children are eager to learn and quickly develop curiosity, imagination and concentration. They respond well to adults and to each other. This has a direct impact on the good progress that they are able to make.
• The teaching of phonics is effective. Children can apply their growing phonic knowledge when dealing with unfamiliar words by breaking them down and blending sounds.
• Adults are highly effective at supporting children’s language development. They model language and swiftly correct any errors in children’s speech. As a result, the children make good progress, including those who speak English as an additional language.
• Leaders have an accurate view of the strengths and weaknesses of the early years provision. Their plans for development show they are taking the correct action to improve provision further.
• Staff are trained in all aspects of keeping children safe. Children are familiar with all the routines and rules, including when working outside. Because of this, they are safe.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 101356 Barnet 10047381 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 Foundation 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 387 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Mr Has Mahir Ms Jennifer Brodkin Telephone number 0208 886 7108 Website Email address www.osidgeschool.org office@osidge.barnetmail.net Date of previous inspection 17–18 May 2016

Information about this school

• Since the inspection of the school in May 2016, the school has had several changes in staffing and leadership.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• Osidge Primary School is an above average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium is below the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is below the national average. The proportion of pupils who have an education, health and care plan is in line with the national average.
• In 2017, the school met the government’s published floor standards, which set out the minimum expectations for pupils’ progress and attainment.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching and learning in all classrooms, and observed intervention groups.
• School leaders took part in joint observations with inspectors and attended all inspection team meetings.
• Meetings were held with school leaders, teachers and groups of pupils. Inspectors met with four governors, including the chair of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.
• The inspectors worked in partnership with the school’s senior leaders when analysing information about the school. The inspectors looked at pupils’ outcomes, the school’s evaluation of its own performance, minutes from governors’ meetings, the school development plan, and monitoring and evaluation records. Behaviour and attendance records and information relating to safeguarding were also checked.
• The inspectors walked around the school with pupils to find out more about their work from displays and extra-curricular activities. Inspectors also interviewed groups of children from across the school to determine their views on behaviour and safety.
• Inspectors spent time on the playground at playtime, observed behaviour in the lunch halls, listened to pupils read and looked at work in pupils’ books, alongside senior leaders.
• Inspectors took into account the views of parents by analysing the 131 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, as well as speaking informally to parents during the inspection.
• Inspectors took into account the views of 26 staff who responded to the staff survey and 93 pupils who responded to the pupil survey.

Inspection team

Danvir Visvanathan, lead inspector Juliette Jackson Rekha Bhakoo

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector