Kingsbury Green Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Further develop the skills of new middle leaders so that they make a fuller contribution to the monitoring and development of teaching and learning in their areas of responsibility.
• Continue focusing on improving pupils’ outcomes in all subjects by ensuring that:
  • pupils have more opportunities to apply their writing skills across all subjects of the national curriculum
  • pupils who are capable of exceeding age-related standards are sufficiently challenged
  • pupils have more opportunities to apply mathematical skills to problem-solving.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Leaders work together to drive improvements within the school, with everything focused on improving outcomes for the pupils. Although the headteacher may lead, the staff hold the same ambition and share the same goals.
• Improvement plans are sharply focused, with clear targets and timescales to ensure that they have the required impact. Senior leaders, including governors, monitor the plans regularly and adjust actions to increase the effectiveness of their work. This gives them an accurate view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses.
• Leaders regularly check the quality of teaching. They gather a wide range of supporting evidence, including pupils’ progress, to ensure an accurate evaluation of each teacher’s performance. Teachers are accountable for the achievement of their pupils and, in termly progress meetings, set challenging outcome targets for them.
• Staff morale is extremely high. Staff value the programme of training and the supportive approach that leaders take in developing them as practitioners. Training, for example coaching, peer-to-peer observations and self-research, is clearly having an impact in the classroom. Staff are unhesitatingly positive about the leadership of the school and the support that leaders provide them with.
• The curriculum successfully engages pupils’ interests, particularly those who are new to English. Effective learning is promoted by linking high-quality texts to topics, with an emphasis on vocabulary, which contributes to developing their speaking skills and deep understanding. Pupils’ aspirations are raised through a wide range of after-school enrichment activities such as French language, art, dance, sign language and music clubs.
• Leaders have used the pupil premium funding well to support disadvantaged pupils. A range of interventions, including individual support, ensures that these pupils are now making the same good progress as their peers.
• Leaders’ commitment to equal opportunities for all pupils has resulted in the creation of a bespoke programme, ‘All Stars’. This addresses the complex needs of some pupils through design of the right curriculum, led by very competent staff. As a result, these targeted pupils are more engaged with the school and are making steady progress.
• The provision for pupils with SEND is very strong and well led. All pupils who have an education, health and care (EHC) plan, as well as those on the special educational needs register for support, are supported effectively to ensure that their needs are met. The special educational needs team works closely with the school’s educational psychologists and external professionals to develop an in-depth understanding of each individual pupil. This approach is also mirrored in the TCB and the new ‘All Stars’ provision.
• Leaders also use the primary physical education (PE) and sport premium to good effect. Pupils enjoy taking part in a wide variety of sports competitions and after-school clubs such as football, basketball, gymnastics, athletics and dance. The ‘playground gym’ and playground resources have also greatly increased pupils’ physical activity at break and lunchtimes.

Governance of the school

• The governing body has undergone changes in the last 12 months. Several governors are new to the school. These governors have undertaken training to ensure that they are clear about their roles and responsibilities.
• Governors have recently carried out a skills audit and have redistributed their roles and responsibilities. This has increased rigour in their processes of monitoring the work of the school.
• The governing body has managed changes to staffing very well since the previous inspection. Together with the headteacher, governors promote an ambitious culture, which continually improves the performance and effectiveness of teachers and support staff.
• Governors are linked to areas of school improvement and regularly visit the school so they gain first-hand experience of the school’s work. The governor responsible for safeguarding visits the school once a term to evaluate the culture of safeguarding.
• Governors exercise effective oversight of pupil premium funding, additional funding for special educational needs provision and the primary school PE and sport premium.
• Leaders’ reports to governors are focused, with clear evaluation, using measurable success criteria. This enables governors to question and challenge to improve key aspects of the school’s work, for example improving teaching.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders have created a clear safeguarding culture within the school. This culture ensures that staff are fully aware of the latest national guidance and have benefited from regular and recent training related to issues of radicalisation and extremism.
• Because of this training, staff are confident about the actions to take should they have any concerns about a pupil. Records are detailed and referrals to the local authority are robust. A governor with expertise in this area ensures that systems are regularly supported, challenged and, when necessary, improved to ensure that all pupils are safe.
• School leaders diligently maintain records and follow up on concerns raised. The designated safeguarding lead ensures that all staff have a strong understanding of how to keep pupils safe. Records of concerns raised about the safety of pupils are detailed and well maintained. The school’s safeguarding team reviews records daily. As a result, pupils’ safety is monitored well.
• Staff have undertaken first-aid training, including paediatric first aid for early years children.
• An overwhelming majority of parents who responded to the online Parent View survey thought that their children were safe, happy and well looked after at the school.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers ensure that learning is engaging. Classrooms are calm and respectful places. Displays support learning well. They include helpful information and examples of pupils’ work and promote greater independence in learning. Teachers assess pupils’ work accurately. They provide guidance on how pupils can do better and, in the main, pupils respond appropriately and their work improves.
• The successful and continuing programme of training for teachers and teaching assistants has ensured that teaching and learning across the school is good. Teachers have raised their expectations of the standard of work that pupils can produce.
• Pupils are provided with clear guidance on what they should be learning in lessons and teachers regularly review their progress with good questioning. In a Year 6 English lesson, the teacher, through skilful questioning, encouraged pupils to analyse higher-order vocabulary in a shared text and provide alternative similar words.
• In mathematics, teachers develop pupils’ fluency well and plan activities that build on pupils’ existing knowledge and understanding. Pupils learn how to use formal methods of calculation accurately because activities are well sequenced. However, teachers do not plan enough opportunities for pupils to apply the skills learned to solve mathematical problems, which limits the development of those skills.
• Teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve in their learning. Teachers provide stimulating tasks and activities that are mostly well matched to the ability of the pupils. Sometimes work given to the most able pupils is not challenging enough to deepen their understanding and develop their thinking sufficiently to allow them to make the best progress.
• The teaching of reading has improved rapidly over the past year due to the very sharp focus on independent reading. Teachers give pupils clear explanations and activities that develop their skills and knowledge. This is further consolidated with teaching of reading focusing on word recognition and retrieval skills.
• Pupils of different abilities are supported by teaching assistants, whose strengths include questioning and small-group teaching. This helps pupils to develop a greater understanding of their work and thereby make good progress.
• Phonics is taught very well in the school. Teachers deliver relevant and precise phonics sessions, which enable pupils to access and enjoy reading. This good start is successful in promoting reading across the rest of the school.
• Other subjects, including science, are well covered in topic lessons. For example, pupils have opportunities for a good amount of practical work in science. They learn how to plan investigations and this was evident in the work analysed by inspectors.
• Work seen in a sample of pupils’ wider curriculum books showed that their work matched the school’s curriculum. Pupils do not always apply their skills learned in writing in English books to writing in the wider curriculum. This means that they are not making the strongest progress possible.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Pupils are proud of their school and speak warmly about it. They have exceptionally positive attitudes to learning and present their work well. They like school and learning and say that lessons are fun. In lessons, pupils are respectful of each other’s ideas and they cooperate well.
• Pupils have excellent opportunities to contribute to the work of the school. For example, ambassadors who show visitors around or represent Kingsbury Green out of school, prefects and the litter-picking group underpin the school’s values of empathy, agility and hard work.
• Teachers provide assemblies and class activities that enable pupils to reflect on their personal development and safety. Pupils who spoke to inspectors were knowledgeable about how to keep themselves safe when using the internet, road safety and the dangers of gang involvement. Inspectors also observed pupils in Year 6 deliver an informative and interactive assembly to their peers and parents on e-safety.
• Pupils respect each other’s views and differences such as anti-racism and gender issues and, as a result, they are self-assured and confident. As one pupil commented: ‘We are one big family who look after each other.’
• The breakfast and after-school club provide good-quality care for working families. Pupils start and end the school day in a safe, secure and welcoming environment.
• Pupils know what bullying is and the different forms it can take, such as cyber bullying. They know what to do if they see or experience bullying. Pupils report that incidents of bullying are uncommon. They have confidence in the school adults to sort things out fairly. They also are aware of the ‘five trusted adults’, who are always there to help with issues related to their concerns.
• Parents and staff agree that pupils are very safe, well informed on how to keep healthy and are well cared for when in school.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary, both in lessons and when moving around the school.
• Pupils’ behaviour in lessons reflects high levels of engagement, cooperation and enjoyment. For example, in a Year 5 science lesson, pupils were very keen to share and generate ideas about ‘how the loudness of a sound changes’. They encouraged each other and listened with respect and courtesy, so that even the most reluctant pupils were keen to contribute.
• The pupils spoken with during lessons and breaktimes said that it is easy to make friends and they say that they trust the adults who care for them, including those who supervise them at lunchtimes. There are warm and positive relationships among pupils and with adults.
• Staff work well with families to encourage pupils to attend school regularly and arrive on time. Leaders and support staff work very hard to promote good attendance and this is reflected in above-average attendance rates and low levels of persistent absence.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• The standards pupils reach in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of key stages 1 and 2 represent good rates of progress in relation to their starting points.
• At key stage 2, the 2018 national assessments show an improvement on the previous results in 2017 in reading attainment for all pupils. Progress in reading showed an improvement on 2017 and pupils who qualify for pupil premium funding made much better progress compared with the previous year. Attainment in reading, writing and mathematics combined at the expected standard is in line with the national average. However, too few pupils reached the higher standard, particularly in writing.
• The performance of current pupils throughout the school, confirmed by assessment information and work seen in books, shows that progress in reading, writing and mathematics is good, reflecting improvements in teaching. However, only a few of the most able pupils are currently reaching the higher standards of which they are capable.
• Outcomes in phonics were not as high in 2018 compared to the previous two years. However, the quality of the phonics teaching observed by inspectors was strong and the school is monitoring this closely.
• Disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND make good progress and achieve well. There are targeted interventions in all year groups to build confidence and independence. This is also the practice in TCB. Leaders have a system in place to identify most-able pupils within these groups in order to ensure that they get the support they need to reach greater depth in their learning.

Early years provision Good

• From below typical starting points, children make good progress and achieve standards that are similar to those achieved nationally. The proportion of children gaining a good level of development by the end of Reception was above national averages for the last three years.
• Leaders check the effectiveness of their work so that they know the strengths and areas which need to improve. They ensure that there are effective systems in place to track children’s progress and to plan new learning.
• The same strong focus on pupils’ personal development across the school is evident within the Nursery and Reception classes, resulting in confident and happy learners. This is partially the result of very good procedures to induct children into school, which include home visits, taster days and meetings with parents.
• Good teaching and effective support for children and families in early years classes enable the children to get off to a good start. Children are well prepared for Year 1 by the time they finish the Reception Year. There are effective transition arrangements in place when children move into Year 1. This lays good foundations for learning and development in key stage 1.
• Adults record key developments in children’s learning and use these to plan the next activities so that children make good progress.
• Teaching is good across early years, with work planned daily to meet children’s individual needs. There is a good balance between those activities that are adult-led and those where children choose to learn independently. Children throughout the early years are very well behaved and attentive. They listen to instructions and are polite to each other and to adults.
• The school’s approach to teaching phonics keeps pupils engaged and motivated to learn. Leaders hold meetings for parents to show them how the school teaches phonics as well as ‘stay and play’ sessions where teachers demonstrate this. Consequently, pupils make good progress and parents are well informed about how to help their child read at home.
• Teaching assistants provide effective additional help for children with SEND, as well as those who qualify for pupil premium funding. As a result, these children are making good progress.
• Early years staff keep children safe at all times. They ensure that children are kept safe when using the whole range of resources and when visitors are in the school. Children understand how to keep themselves safe.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 101503 Brent 10056708 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Maintained 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 654 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Olivia Alison Laura Wynne 020 8204 6423 http://www.kgreen.brent.sch.uk office1@kgreen.brent.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 3–4 February 2016

Information about this school

• Since the previous inspection in February 2016, the school has had several changes in staffing and leadership.
• Kingsbury Green Primary School is larger than the average-sized primary school.
• The vast majority of pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds, with the largest group being from the ‘Other ethnic’ category, and pupils from ‘Any other White background’ forming the next most sizeable group.
• 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 with SEND is below the national average. The proportion of pupils who have an EHC plan is above the national average.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching and learning in all classrooms alongside school leaders, and additionally observed intervention groups.
• Meetings were held with school leaders, teachers and groups of pupils. Inspectors met with four members of the governing body, including the vice-chair, and the school improvement advisor 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 governing body 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 interviewed groups of children from across the school to determine their views on behaviour and safety.
• Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in the playground at playtime and in the lunch hall. They 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 377 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, as well as speaking informally to parents during the inspection.

Inspection team

Danvir Visvanathan, lead inspector Meena Walia Helen Bailey Jane Moon

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector