Newfield Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Rapidly improve outcomes for all groups of pupils in key stages 1 and 2, and increase the proportion of pupils achieving a high level of attainment across the school.
• Improve the quality of teaching by: sharpening teachers’ use of assessment during lessons so that all pupils make more rapid progress deepening teachers’ subject knowledge so that they are better placed to demand more of higher-attaining pupils.
• Improve the quality of leadership and management by ensuring that:

leaders check that what has been learned in training is consistently applied expectations of the pace of learning, for all groups of pupils, are continually reinforced.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• Although leadership has secured improvements to the school’s provision since the previous inspection, the actions taken by school leaders to raise the quality of teaching, and consequently pupils’ outcomes, have not yet had the desired impact.
• Regular observation of teachers’ practice and scrutiny of pupils’ work provide leaders with a good amount of information about the impact of teachers’ work on pupils’ learning. However, leaders do not consistently check that their advice to teachers has been put into practice. This reduces leaders’ impact on improving the quality of teaching, and consequently on the rate of pupils’ progress.
• Through their responses to the online questionnaire, staff expressed mixed views about the extent to which they feel supported to carry out their roles and about the quality of leadership and management. However, the vast majority indicated that they were clear about the school’s aims.
• Leaders’ own evaluation of the school’s strengths and weaknesses is accurate. While recognising the improvements that have been made since the previous inspection, senior leaders are realistic about the challenges that lie ahead.
• Leaders have secured improvements in pupils’ behaviour by reviewing the effectiveness of the behaviour management policy and taking action accordingly. The involvement of stakeholders, including governors, parents and pupils, has led to there being a clear understanding of expectations as well as appropriate sanctions and rewards.
• Leaders track the progress of pupils, including that of groups, closely. They use the information generated by the computerised data management system to identify pupils for additional support. However, subsequent actions are not fully effective in supporting pupils to catch up or to meet their potential.
• The curriculum focuses on the development of pupils’ basic literacy and numeracy skills. Currently, pupils’ learning in subjects beyond English and mathematics is at less depth than it should be.
• The number of extra-curricular activities have increased since the previous inspection with pupils enjoying several clubs including judo, tennis and dance.
• Provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is effective in preparing them for the challenges and responsibilities of living in modern Britain. They understand British values such as the concept of tolerance, and speak about it confidently. They understand the importance of equality of opportunity and that there is much to learn from their friends from different cultures.
• Pupil premium funding is used primarily to provide additional adults to support teaching, as well as to provide structured programmes of support for pupils who require them. The impact of this spending is varied.
• Leaders work effectively with external professionals to support pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Additional funding is spent to increase the time, and consequently advice, available from specialists.
• Physical education and sport funding is spent well. It provides the opportunity for staff to work alongside sports coaches, as well as enabling the purchase of extra resources. Participation and success in local competitions have risen, including winning the Brent dance competition in March 2017.
• Representatives of the local authority have held leaders to account through regular meetings of the ‘rapid improvement group’. The support they have brokered for middle leaders has enabled leaders of English and mathematics to play a greater role in improving provision in their subjects. Training for the governing body has enabled governors to ask more demanding questions about the performance of pupils, including that of groups of pupils.
• Parents who expressed an opinion in person or through Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, were mostly positive about the school’s work. During the inspection, parents attended a workshop about phonics, taking away resources to help them support their children’s learning at home. They spoke highly of the value of the workshop and of the guidance they had received.

Governance

• Governors have a good understanding of the school’s work. They are each linked to an aspect of provision, visits to the school being scheduled throughout the year. Governors are aware that pupils’ outcomes are inconsistent throughout the school, including those for disadvantaged pupils. Greater consideration is now given to the expertise of those co-opted to join the governing body. For example, the recent recruitment of a member with an educational background has increased the governing body’s ability to challenge leaders about pupils’ performance. Governors have a good understanding of the arrangements in place for determining pay progression for staff, including that of the headteacher. As well as receiving information from the headteacher, governors insist on receiving reports from external sources to verify the school’s judgements, for example those about the quality of teaching.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders ensure that training is undertaken within the required intervals and that staff understand the key principles of what has been learned. Staff are aware of their roles in the identification of risk, for example with regard to the ‘Prevent’ duty and female genital mutilation. Leaders work effectively with agencies beyond the school, sharing information as required to ensure that pupils receive the support they need. Records of the work of the designated safeguarding lead are sufficiently detailed and chart the actions taken to provide timely support when concerns are raised. The required pre-appointment checks are carried out prior to staff starting work at the school. The designated safeguarding lead has a good understanding of the needs of the most vulnerable pupils and their families.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• The quality of teaching is uneven throughout the school. This results in variation in outcomes across key stages 1 and 2. Where teaching is most effective, pupils make quick progress. However, less effective teaching results in pupils making slower progress than that of which they are capable.
• The level of challenge presented to pupils does not allow them to achieve as well as they could. For example, pupils’ writing in the foundation subjects such as geography and history is not of as high a quality as it is in English lessons. Teachers do not have a sufficiently robust appreciation of what constitutes learning at greater depth. This leads to too great an emphasis on pupils reaching the expected, rather than higher, standard.
• Teachers do not consistently use the assessment information they gather during lessons to challenge and support pupils. They do not adapt their teaching to respond precisely enough to pupils’ needs during lessons.
• Teachers’ use of questioning is variable. At its best, it helps teachers to understand precisely what pupils understand, so that they can help them overcome barriers to their learning. Where questioning is weaker, teachers do not get to the heart of why a pupil is stuck. This prevents teachers from providing the specific guidance needed.
• Reading is promoted effectively, with pupils developing an enjoyment of reading. Older pupils spoken to were able to list their favourite authors and discuss their reading habits both at home and school. Those who find reading more challenging are provided with appropriate books to extend their vocabulary and to develop their reading skills.
• The approach taken to teaching phonics has been reviewed. The school’s assessment information suggests that, as a result, the proportion of pupils likely to reach the expected standard in the Year 1 national phonics screening check in 2017 is above the national average for 2016.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• The school’s values underpin much of what the school aspires to achieve. Among them are ambition, respect, tolerance and achievement. The ‘value of the week’ during the inspection was kindness. School council members selected pupils to receive a wrist band rewarding them for demonstrating this value in their relations with others.
• Pupils are proud of their school and are keen to explain the variety of roles of responsibility available to older pupils. These include young leaders, play leaders and school council representatives.
• Pupils demonstrate tolerance of others, their views and beliefs. They are reflective and mindful of the needs of others. During the inspection, the school observed a minute’s silence to mark the events which took place in Manchester a few days prior to the inspection. It was indicative of leaders’ care and consideration that they ensured that pupils were aware of the support available to them should they have any worries about what they had heard.
• Pupils speak confidently about their safe use of the internet. They recall the assemblies and lessons they have attended that have provided strategies to support them. They know that some social media sites have minimum age restrictions, and that they should report their concerns to a parent, member of staff or other trusted adult.
• Pupils and parents speak highly of the facility for pupils to seek support and advice from a national charity, some of whose staff are based at the school. Pupils are clear about the arrangements which enable them to make an appointment. Staff refer pupils with more pressing needs for counselling support.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils walk about the building calmly and quietly. They speak to others politely. Inspectors were greeted respectfully with a friendly handshake by a pupil attending the breakfast club at the beginning of the inspection.
• Attendance and punctuality have improved as a result of the implementation of robust systems and procedures. Leaders work closely with families whose children’s attendance is not good enough. They work with local authority colleagues to monitor pupils’ attendance and to prepare applications for fixed penalty notices when absence reaches the agreed threshold. However, leaders are aware that too many pupils continue to arrive at school late.
• The school’s behaviour policy has been thoroughly reviewed. As a result of a wide-ranging consultation, members of the school community are clear about expectations of pupils’ behaviour. These includes the arrangements in place to promote and reward good behaviour and the sanctions to be implemented when expectations are not met. This represents a significant improvement when compared with the situation at the time of the previous inspection. The number of exclusions has dropped significantly. Pupils describe a noticeable improvement in behaviour.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Pupils completing key stage 2 in 2016 made significantly less progress than average between the end of Years 2 and 6 in reading and mathematics. They made more progress than average in writing.
• Individuals and groups of pupils make different rates of progress from their starting points. For some pupils, progress falters, resulting in their not sustaining the standards they have previously demonstrated. In some cases, pupils who have previously attained the expected standard fall below the standard expected in subsequent years.
• In 2016, approximately three in 10 pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined. The school’s assessment information suggests that the proportion is likely to be close to the 2016 national average this year. This represents a significant improvement.
• The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard at the end of key stage 1 in 2016 was above average in reading, writing and mathematics. However, the proportion reaching the higher standard was well below average. This was largely because significantly fewer pupils than seen nationally made strong progress from their starting points at the end of the Reception Year.
• Having fluctuated over recent years, pupils’ outcomes in the Year 1 national phonics screening check are predicted by the school to be above the 2016 national average this year. This is largely due to an improvement in the quality of the teaching of phonics.
• Scrutiny of pupils’ books demonstrates that too few make the progress of which they are capable over time. In some cases, the quality of individual pupils’ work fluctuates significantly as a result of inconsistent challenge in the teaching. This also contributes to too few pupils not reaching the higher standards.
• The attainment of disadvantaged pupils varies throughout the school. In some cases, they achieve in line with or better than their peers. The school’s assessment information indicates that, although many disadvantaged pupils are likely to reach the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, too few are likely to reach the higher standards.
• The progress of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities varies throughout the school. In some year groups, their rates of progress from their starting points are comparable to those of all pupils but in others they are slower.

Early years provision Good

• The vast majority of children begin the early years foundation stage with skills and abilities below those typical for their age. The proportion attaining a good level of development by the end of the Reception Year has risen over recent years to be close to the national average. In 2017, it is predicted to be slightly above the national figure for 2016.
• Activities are chosen well to promote the development of children’s literacy and numeracy skills. For example, children in Reception enjoyed using magnets to retrieve coins from the sand tray before matching them to cards showing different values.
• The quality of phonics teaching is generally high, with sounds being modelled accurately and consistently. Children apply their phonics skills and knowledge well to spell and read new words. They are clearly proud of their achievements and are not afraid to ‘have a go’.
• Children in the Reception Year adopt a similar approach to that used throughout the school when improving their work in response to the teacher’s feedback. This establishes good habits at an early stage and helps to ensure that children are well prepared to continue their learning in key stage 1.
• The Nursery and Reception environments are calm and orderly, with positive relationships between children and adults evident. Children take turns and share cheerfully. Adults help to sustain children’s interest by engaging with activities and supporting through role play, for example. Children are safe, and should any accidents occur they are recorded and reported routinely. The setting is generally well maintained with reported issues being addressed promptly by site staff and leaders.
• Children’s progress is tracked and reported to parents regularly.
• There is not sufficient precision in the use of assessment information to enable teachers to plan activities to enable children to exceed the early learning goals. This limits the progress of the most able.
• On some occasions, adults’ interactions with children are focused too heavily on providing instructions for the completion of the task at hand rather than on promoting independence, resilience and discussion. This limits the extent to which children are able to gain a deeper understanding of concepts and thereby exceed what is expected of them by the end of the early years foundation stage.
• Effective interim arrangements are currently in place for the leadership of the early years.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 101522 Brent 10031713 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 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 377 Appropriate authority Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Local authority Wendy James Sarah Bolt 020 8961 1566 www.newfield.brent.sch.uk admin@newfield.brent.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 14–15 May 2015

Information about this school

• The school does not meet requirements on the publication of information about key stage 2 results on its website. While some of the required information is available, average scaled scores for reading and mathematics, and the percentage of pupils who achieved a high level of attainment in reading and mathematics, are not available.
• The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.
• A higher than average proportion of pupils are eligible for free school meals.
• The vast majority of pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds.
• Approximately three quarters of pupils speak English as an additional language.
• A greater proportion of pupils than average join or leave the school at times other than at the start of the end of a key stage.
• The school meets the current government floor standards for pupils’ progress and attainment in English and mathematics.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors made visits to each classroom and to the early years setting, some with a senior leader, to observe teaching and learning. Pupils’ workbooks were scrutinised including those of pupils with low, middle and high prior attainment, and of those who are disadvantaged. An inspector heard pupils read. Inspectors visited two assemblies and observed pupils at play.
• During the inspection, meetings were held with senior and middle leaders, two governors including the chair of the governing body and two representatives of the local authority.
• A range of documents were scrutinised including those about pupils’ performance, leaders’ evaluation of the school’s work, safeguarding and recruitment checks.
• The views of pupils were collected through informal discussions during visits to lessons, in the playground and through a formal discussion with a group of older pupils.
• Inspectors considered the 13 responses to the online staff questionnaire and 38 responses to the online pupil questionnaire.
• Inspectors spoke with parents at the start of the school day and reviewed the 14 responses to Parent View.

Inspection team

Jeremy Loukes, lead inspector Kirstie Fulthorpe Rekha Bhakoo Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector