Kilburn Grange School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Continue to develop strategies for improving outcomes in writing by ensuring that all groups of pupils make strong progress through consistently high expectations of what they can achieve.
• Increase the proportion of pupils who achieve the higher standards in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stage 1.
• Ensure that pupils are not disadvantaged by low attendance by:
  • improving attendance for all groups of pupils and reducing the proportion of pupils who are persistently absent from school
  • providing pupils with the opportunity to catch up when they have been absent.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher has a clear vision for the future of the school. Supported by effective leaders, she has created and leads a happy team who said that they feel valued. Leaders are supported by a strong governing body and are part of an effective trust.
• Leaders are accurate in their view of the school. The school’s self-evaluation is precise and clearly celebrates the strengths of the school. During paired observations, leaders identified the relevant strengths and areas for development. Leaders identify areas for improvement. For example, when leaders identified reading as an area for improvement, they changed their approach to teaching early phonics. The impact has been positive.
• Training and professional development for all staff are a priority for action. Leaders and staff said that they value the collaborative support that they receive through the trust. Staff talked about the impact of training, for example in understanding the emotional needs of pupils.
• The school’s pupil premium strategy identifies the barriers that disadvantaged pupils face and outlines the provision that leaders will put in place. Planned support has a positive impact on pupils’ academic achievements. As a result, this group achieves well.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are quickly identified and effectively supported. Leadership of this area is strong. Staff are supported effectively to meet the needs of all pupils, regardless of the complexity of their needs. As a result, pupils make strong progress.
• Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is evident throughout the school. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. Pupils talk confidently about moral dilemmas, for example whether Goldilocks ought to have gone inside the bears’ cottage. Pupils learn about a range of faiths and cultures and talk in depth about different religions. Pupils talked about their respect for people from different cultures and the importance of treating people ‘equally’.
• Pupils have access to a broad and engaging curriculum. Some areas are supported by specialist teaching, for example in music and physical education (PE). The breadth of the curriculum is a strength of the school.
• The curriculum is supported by educational visits and after-school clubs, for example Zumba, art, ballet and Lego. Pupils talked enthusiastically about attending these. Staff talked about how attendance at these activities helped to develop social skills.
• The school makes good use of the sports premium funding. Pupils benefit from specialist sports coaching that is also successfully developing the quality of teaching in PE. The range of experiences contribute to pupils’ academic and physical development.
• Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school.

Governance of the school

• Governance is strong at all levels and governors fulfil their statutory duties effectively. Trustees and governors are clear about delegated responsibilities. Those who met with the inspector recognise the strengths and areas for development well.
• Skills audits are used to inform the recruitment of new governors. Consequently, there is a broad range of expertise and the knowledge and confidence to challenge leaders and members of the trust board. Link visits are effectively managed. Actions and outcomes are fed back and discussed at meetings. Minutes from meetings reflect the good work of the board.
• Governors and trustees work together effectively to manage the performance of the headteacher. They also engage fully with a variety of training activities.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. All staff have received appropriate safeguarding training which is up to date with current legislation, including the ‘Prevent’ duty. All staff know what to do if they have a concern. They demonstrate a secure understanding of the school’s systems and are confident that any concern will be responded to in a timely manner. Governors routinely complete safeguarding audits. These include ensuring that necessary checks on staff have been carried out.
• Leaders work effectively with agencies to support pupils. Reports provided for meetings with external agencies are fit for purpose. Planning to support pupils who need intervention is appropriate. The designated safeguarding lead is clear about the needs of the most vulnerable pupils and their families.
• Pupils say that they are safe. They know how to be safe. Pupils refer to the advice given, ‘to think smart, use your caring heart’, when talking about internet safety. Parents said that they believe pupils are safe in school.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The vast majority of staff have positive working relationships with pupils and this provides a strong basis for learning. Teachers provide fun learning opportunities. As a result, pupils enjoy learning and are not afraid to contribute in lessons.
• Teachers and support staff use effective questioning to further develop learning for pupils. Questions are relevant to the needs of different pupils to support progress. For example, in a guided reading session, adults were using probing comprehension questions to make pupils think about what they had read.
• Pupils engage in a variety of activities across the wider curriculum. Pupils engaged in purposeful activity during a PE lesson. They were given the opportunity to practise athletic skills and advise each other about how they could improve. Application of skills is evident across the curriculum. For example, mathematical skills are consistently evident in science activities.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are well catered for. Staff have a clear understanding of individual needs and provide focused intervention for those who need it. This group is well supported to access learning with their peers across the curriculum. Teachers are sensitive in their approach to pupils who are less confident, ensuring that they can contribute to discussions. As a result, all pupils play an active part in the school community.
• Teachers and teaching assistants have a structured approach to delivering phonics sessions. Pupils apply their skills effectively when reading and writing. Pupils have books appropriate to their level of understanding and read enthusiastically. They are keen to talk about what they have read. They use phonics skills well to work out challenging words.
• Teachers have high expectations of pupils to work with positive attitudes. As a result, pupils know what they need to do. Work is well presented. However, at times, assessment information is not used effectively to plan for pupils’ next steps. Consequently, the most able pupils are not consistently challenged to achieve at a higher standard.
• Pupils are not supported to catch up when they have been absent from school. Subsequently, they are at a disadvantage and this limits their progress.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils are polite and friendly. One comment from a pupil typifies relationships in school, ‘If somebody is upset, you can share your happy face with them.’ The school’s values of ‘WECARE’ are the cornerstone of all activities. Pupils talk confidently about ‘wonder’, ‘enjoy’, ‘collaborate’, ‘aspire’, ‘reflect’ and ‘endeavour’. Pupils’ books demonstrate that the values are an integral part of learning. Pupils talk positively about diversity and treating people equally.
• Pupils know how to stay healthy and can talk about the healthy choices at lunchtime. Pupils know how to be safe and they are clear about who they can talk to if they have a concern.
• The breakfast club is a positive experience for pupils. Staff use this time to develop pupils’ communication and language skills. Pupils are engaged in calm and purposeful activity and are keen to talk about the creative work they produce.
• Pupils take pride in their work. This is evident in the way that all activities are completed to a high standard. Pupils are keen to share their work with visitors, whom they welcome. This was evident in the assembly led by a leader from another school. Pupils were keen to take an active part in the assembly and were encouraged to think creatively during this time and reflect on how they could show that they cared for others.
• The school council plays an important role and influences decisions. Pupils talked with excitement about the food festival they had requested.
• Bullying and discriminatory incidents are rare. Pupils said that bullying simply does not happen. Parents supported this view and said that they had no concerns about bullying.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils move around the school sensibly. Behaviour in lessons is positive and learning is not disrupted by behavioural incidents. Pupils conduct themselves well during breaktimes and at lunchtime, as well as during the breakfast club.
• Pupils play well together in the well-resourced playground. Leaders make the most of the small space to ensure that pupils can enjoy their social times. Pupils said that behaviour at playtimes is good.
• The large majority of pupils respond promptly to adults and are keen to learn. The school’s behaviour records show that the number of pupils excluded from school has decreased significantly. This is a result of improved partnership working with parents and focused intervention for those pupils who need it.
• Parents said that they believe behaviour is strong.
• Attendance has been low since the school opened. However, this is rapidly improving and it is now in line with national averages. Leaders use a range of different approaches to work with pupils and their families to improve attendance. However, for some groups of pupils, attendance is still too low and persistent absence is too high.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Current assessment information for pupils shows that they make progress across a range of subjects. Many pupils make strong progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Evidence of learning in pupils’ books supports the school’s assessment information and demonstrates that pupils make good progress. Assessments are accurate. Pupils’ attainment, according to the school’s own data, shows improvements from last year across the majority of subjects and year groups.
• Progress for pupils who are in receipt of the pupil premium funding is consistently strong. As a result, the gap between their outcomes and those of other pupils nationally is decreasing. In some cases, this group achieves better than other pupils.
• Due to strong provision, pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make strong progress from their starting points. Boys do not attain as well as girls. However, recent strong progress means that they are catching up.
• The proportion of pupils achieving the expected phonics standard in Year 1 has improved significantly. Pupils make good progress in reading from low starting points.
• The quality of work across the wider curriculum is strong. This was particularly evident in the stunning artwork created by Year 1, reflecting a variety of styles and textures.
• Outcomes are good in mathematics, where age-appropriate work is completed confidently. Many pupils make strong progress in mathematics. This is reflected in the larger proportion of pupils attaining the expected standard.
• The majority of pupils make strong progress in writing. However, work is not typically challenging and, consequently, no pupils achieve the higher standard. The proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in writing at the end of Year 2 is lower than in reading and mathematics.
• Pupils who have been in school since Reception make strong progress. The majority of children in early years progress well. Progress is particularly strong in Year 1 and pupils build on this progress in Year 2. As a result, pupils are well prepared for the next stage in their learning.

Early years provision Good

• Effective leadership provides strong direction and support for staff. Training and development for staff include effective work across the trust. This is valued by staff and has a positive impact on children’s progress. Staff adhere to the school’s safeguarding procedures to ensure that all children are safe.
• Many children enter Reception with skills below those typical for their age. Leaders work effectively to identify gaps in learning to ensure that the necessary support is swiftly in place. Children make strong progress in reading and writing. The school’s data for 2018 demonstrates that the proportion of children who achieved the expected levels in reading and writing has increased this year. Outcomes are now likely to be in line with national averages for children reaching a good level of development.
• Children in receipt of the pupil premium funding make strong progress and their outcomes are higher than those of other children. Those who have SEN and/or disabilities also make consistently strong progress because all staff understand and respond effectively to their needs.
• The proportion of children exceeding expectations in reading, writing and mathematics has improved significantly. Children have access to a broad curriculum.
• Phonics is well taught across the early years. Children use their skills to write independently. For example, children were writing shopping lists and every word on the list could be read. Challenging words were attempted. One child wrote ‘shtrorberee’ for strawberry. They are proud of what they write and keen to share their work.
• Partnership working with parents is effective. Parents said that they are kept informed about how well their children are doing. Contributions from parents are evident in children’s books to celebrate the work they have done.
• Children are encouraged to talk about the school’s values and what they mean. Children can describe when they have been helpful and how they are encouraged to make choices.
• Most children are engaged in a wide variety of purposeful and stimulating activities. Children persevere with tasks, work together and interact socially. Children behave well, keep themselves busy and do not flit from activity to activity. There are opportunities for children to write and develop mathematical skills. However, children are not always guided towards these activities.
• At times, teaching is highly effective. As a result, children are engaged and motivated. At these times, children are encouraged to think critically and develop their own ideas. Effective links to prior learning mean that children are keen to learn more. Behaviour at these times is exceptional.
• An increasing proportion of children achieve a good level of development by the time they leave Reception. Leaders plan effectively for the transition to Year 1. As a result, the majority of children are well prepared for the Year 1 curriculum.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 141751 Brent 10048338 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 Free school 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 115 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Chair of Governors Damon Lacey Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Helen Richardson 020 7504 0547 www.kilburngrangeschool.org.uk info@kilburngrangeschool.org.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• This is the first inspection since the school opened in 2015.
• The school is currently smaller than the average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is well above average.
• The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well above average.
• The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium grant is above that found nationally. The proportion of those who have SEN and/or disabilities is in line with schools nationally.
• Pupils are taught in single-year classes in Year 1 and Year 2. There is a mixture of horizontal and vertical grouped classes. In the early years, there are two Reception classes.
• The school runs a breakfast club and after-school provision. The school also runs a range of after-school activities.

Information about this inspection

• The inspector observed learning in 10 lessons, all jointly with the headteacher or deputy headteacher. She also joined leaders for an assembly. Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes in classrooms, at breaktimes and at lunchtimes were observed.
• Individual pupils and different groups of pupils spoke with the inspector to discuss their learning and views of the school. Pupils read and discussed their reading with the inspector. A large sample of pupils’ work across subjects and year groups was scrutinised.
• A range of documents were considered, including the school’s improvement plan, self-evaluation documentation, information about pupils’ progress and attendance, behaviour logs and safeguarding arrangements.
• The inspector met with three representatives from the trust board and five representatives from the local governing body. The inspector held meetings with school staff and middle and senior leaders. The attendance lead, the early years lead and the senior designated safeguarding lead met with the inspector.
• The inspector took account of the views expressed in the 44 online responses to Ofsted’s Parent View questionnaire and contributions from parents who contacted Ofsted directly. In addition, the inspector gathered the views of several parents during informal meetings at the school.
• The inspector took account of the views of seven staff in response to the staff questionnaires. There were no responses to the pupil questionnaire.

Inspection team

Donna Chambers, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector