Clare House Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Develop the leadership skills of those newer to their roles by sharing the excellent practice already found in the school.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• The executive headteacher and head of school ensure that high expectations and equal opportunity for pupils to succeed are engrained in the school’s culture.
• Leaders possess a precise and detailed understanding of the school’s effectiveness. Their development plans demonstrate a determination to improve, even though pupils consistently achieve high standards.
• Senior leaders act as superb role models for other leaders as they build further on their already considerable skills. They have well-considered plans for using this expertise to further develop the role of leaders of subjects.
• Leaders have a comprehensive knowledge of individual pupils and the progress they make. They use this information very effectively to challenge and support teachers and decide on priorities for their further training.
• Pupils, staff and parents are overwhelmingly positive about leaders’ work to promote inclusion and access to an inspiring curriculum. For example, they have acted quickly and successfully to improve the participation of disadvantaged pupils in extra- curricular activities.
• The additional funding available for disadvantaged pupils is put to effective use. Leaders are determined to ensure that this funding is well targeted and they monitor its impact meticulously. This is also the case for funding for those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
• The primary sport funding is used well to provide sustainable training for staff. In addition, specialists train pupils to make more of sporting activities during lunchtime sessions. As a result, pupils’ participation in and enjoyment of a wide range of sports have improved.
• The curriculum is exceptionally well planned and implemented. It offers consistently inspiring opportunities for pupils to deepen their knowledge and develop skills across the range of subjects taught. An effective blend of specialist teaching and regular training ensures that pupils learn things in the right order and build on their prior experiences.
• There is excellent provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. For example, pupils talk about the impact of residential visits on their personal development. All pupils have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument and take part in performances. They have numerous first-hand experiences of the way British society works. These prepare them very well to be active, reflective citizens.

Governance of the school

• Governors have an extensive knowledge of the school’s provision. They use this to provide support and challenge to leaders. For example, the impact of their work to promote the school’s inclusive ethos is seen in assemblies. A governor’s question led to a greater breadth of coverage in the regular ‘composer of the fortnight’ slot so that female composers are now represented.
• Governors are reflective and strive for continuous improvement in their effectiveness, for example by keeping the organisation of their work under review.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Regular and rigorous training ensures that staff remain up to date with statutory guidance. Leaders deepen the understanding of staff and pupils by asking specialists to come and talk to them about predominant risks. For example, a representative of a prominent search engine helped pupils gain a greater insight into e-safety.
• Leaders are vigilant and effectively record and organise information about any safeguarding concerns. The open culture of the school enables pupils to feel able to report anything that is worrying them. Staff, parents and pupils are positive about the school’s work to keep pupils safe.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

• Teachers apply consistently strong subject knowledge to plan and teach effective lessons. They have a detailed understanding of pupils’ starting points and the progress they should be making, and are successful in motivating them to do their best.
• Additional adults are very effective in providing pupils with additional support or greater challenge. They ask skilful questions and use dialogue well to help build pupils’ confidence and independence.
• The most able pupils thrive on the interesting opportunities teachers offer for them to apply and deepen their learning. For example, older pupils recount enthusiastically how they learned to design and make instruments to measure wind speed and analyse their results.
• Teachers help pupils to develop useful ‘learning habits’ for reading and writing. For example, pupils are taught routinely how to check that their writing includes certain features using a method they call ‘slow writing’. Their subsequent work shows how they retain and apply these skills while further refining their writing style.
• The teaching of phonics and reading is accurate and well structured. Teachers make sure that texts are appropriate for those pupils still learning basic reading skills. They also give the most able pupils the inspiration and guidance to broaden and enrich their reading. For example, pupils are helped to select new reading material by the recommendations that teachers write and stick on books.
• The teaching of mathematics is effective in helping pupils to learn how calculations work. Pupils benefit from frequent opportunities to explain their thinking and learn from the feedback teachers give them. Pupils say teachers make new learning in mathematics easy to understand.
• The teaching is consistently effective across the range of subjects taught. However, just on occasion, the sequence of pupils’ work suggests that teachers have not made the same good use of assessment to plan work as is found in most subjects.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding. Consistently effective and regular opportunities for discussion enable pupils to appreciate the views of others and express their own opinions confidently.
• Leaders’ own strong commitment to improvement and learning inspires pupils to follow suit. Pupils’ work and the pride they demonstrate when talking about it show how motivated they are.
• Reflecting leaders’ work to promote strong values that include respect and tolerance, pupils demonstrate a good understanding of their rights and responsibilities. Pupils are expected to contribute to decision-making and school improvement. For example, a group of pupils has recently played a key part in reviewing the anti-bullying policy.
• Pupils have a secure knowledge of how to stay safe online and recognise risks to their well-being.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Teachers seldom need to resort to sanctions or to use rewards to promote positive behaviour because pupils are typically self-motivated to behave impeccably.
• Parents, staff and the pupils themselves are overwhelmingly positive about standards of behaviour. Pupils appreciate senior leaders’ prompt involvement when anyone needs a reminder about the very high standards they expect.
• Pupils who spoke with inspectors were adamant that bullying and other discriminatory behaviour play no part in school life. They appreciate arrangements available for them to talk to someone if they are concerned about anything, such as a member of staff who acts as a ‘listening ear’.
• In the current year, attendance rates, which were already above average for similar schools, have improved even further. There is no persistent absence.

Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

• Pupils achieve well and make excellent progress across a wide range of subjects and from all starting points. In 2018, the proportions of pupils reaching the expected and higher standards at key stages 1 and 2 in English and mathematics were above the national averages. Pupils’ current work shows that the excellent teaching is sustaining these consistently impressive outcomes. As a result, pupils are very well prepared for the next stage of their education.
• The written work of the most able pupils and their ability to discuss their learning demonstrate the consistently strong progress they are making. The quality of these pupils’ writing across the curriculum is particularly striking.
• Leaders’ prompt and effective actions make sure that any variations in the achievement of groups of pupils are tackled quickly. For example, the most able girls now make similar strong progress to boys in mathematics, following recent work to improve their outcomes.
• A much-higher proportion of pupils than found nationally achieve the expected standard in the phonics screening check at the end of Year 1. All pupils start Year 3 with secure basic reading skills.
• The small number of disadvantaged pupils make similar progress to others. Leaders monitor their achievement rigorously by comparing their progress to other pupils with similar starting points. This enables leaders to focus resources and funding effectively when pupils show signs of being left behind.
• Pupils with SEND make similar progress to others from their starting points.

Early years provision Outstanding

• Children enter the Reception Year with skills which are typically similar to others of their age. The proportion who achieve a good level of development is well above the national average. In addition, the proportion of children who are on track to exceed this is improving in the current year as a result of leaders’ effective action. For example, the most able boys are making stronger progress in writing from their higher starting points because of changes in provision that leaders have introduced.
• There is strong leadership of the early years provision. It offers an effective curriculum which interests children and ensures that they enjoy learning from the time they start school. Resources are used well indoors and outdoors.
• Leaders have recognised that the quality of questioning from teaching staff has a huge impact on how much children get from activities. As a result, they work together to plan and rehearse the questions they intend to ask.
• The teaching of reading and mathematics is effective. Teaching staff use assessment well to decide how much progress children are making and adapt lessons accordingly. The teaching of phonics is accurate and well organised.
• Children learn how to cooperate and quickly understand the high expectations that leaders and staff have for their behaviour.
• There is a good partnership with parents. Parents are encouraged to contribute to the assessment of their child’s learning.
• Safeguarding is effective in the early years. Staff are regularly and well trained to recognise concerns and deal with aspects of children’s welfare.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 143033 Bromley 10067140 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 Academy converter 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 415 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Chair Executive Headteacher Anna Clough John Budden Telephone number 020 8658 4633 Website Email address www.clarehouseprimaryschool.co.uk/ admin@clarehouse.bromley.sch.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• The school is part of the Langley Park Learning Trust. The local governing body has a full range of delegated powers and works alongside a separate board of trustees. The executive headteacher is also the chief executive officer of the trust. The head of school leads and manages the school in his absence.
• The school is larger than the average-sized primary school. There are two Reception classes in the early years. All pupils attend the school full-time.
• The school does not make use of any additional provision or resources off-site. It hosts breakfast and after-school clubs but these are not under the management of trustees or governors.
• The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium is lower than the national average.
• The proportion of pupils with SEND is below the national average.

Information about this inspection

• Observations were carried out by inspectors in a wide range of lessons across the whole school, many alongside school leaders.
• Inspectors also looked at a wide range of pupils’ work with leaders, and asked pupils about their work. Inspectors heard pupils read and asked them about their experiences of school life.
• Meetings were held with a group of governors, with a number of leaders responsible for different aspects of the school’s provision and with senior leaders.
• A range of documents relating to safeguarding, school improvement and attendance were considered by inspectors.
• Inspectors met a number of parents informally and considered 216 written responses submitted during the inspection. In addition, 421 submissions to the online Parent View questionnaire were taken into account, alongside 39 responses to the staff survey and 208 returns to the pupil survey.

Inspection team

Andrew Wright, lead inspector Sue Brooks Rachel Welch

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector