Red Hill Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ outcomes further by:
  • embedding the way pupils think and reason mathematically for themselves
  • eliminating variation in the quality of the guidance teachers provide pupils so that it is all as incisive as the best, particularly in mathematics
  • providing adequate time for pupils to reflect upon and, where relevant, follow up this guidance effectively.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• The headteacher has established a very strong culture of aspiration, respect and care. This is fostered by leaders at all levels, members of the school board and the trust. Excellent relationships underpin the school’s success. Children are at the heart of every decision that is made. This has resulted in improvements in many areas since the school converted to become an academy.
• Leaders know the school well. Their judgements are based on highly secure evidence drawn from a range of sources. Key staff from the trust’s central team are pivotal in supporting and validating school leaders’ judgements. For example, the director of education is responsible for setting the headteacher’s targets and monitoring her progress towards these. The involvement of central staff in monitoring and reviewing teaching and learning adds an important layer in ensuring judgements are accurate.
• The approach to developing staff’s expertise is highly effective. This includes both when delivering whole-school initiatives, such as training on new methodology in the teaching of mathematics or whole-school safeguarding training, as well as bespoke programmes to support individuals. There is a strong focus on the coaching approach, a model which encourages staff to reflect on their own practice and take responsibility for their own development. This has led to significant improvements in the quality of teaching.
• Staff at the early stage of their career state that they receive excellent support. They are keen to take feedback on board, showing a strong desire to develop their skills quickly.
• Middle leaders are skilled and knowledgeable. They know what the strengths of their area of responsibility are and have clear ideas as to what still needs to be improved. In this way, they contribute well to the good quality of education pupils receive.
• Improving outcomes for disadvantaged pupils takes a very high priority. The improvements to teaching have benefited disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils alike: all pupils are currently learning well. Where leaders have identified gaps in disadvantaged pupils’ knowledge or skills, they ensure that these are closed quickly by providing additional support. When checking that the pupil premium funding is used optimally, leaders evaluate the interventions paid for by these funds. Their most recent evaluations show that these interventions result in pupils making rapid progress.
• Provision for pupils with SEND is exemplary. The additional funding is very well used. This ensures that the needs of pupils with SEND are very well met and that they make strong progress. Excellent links with the local authority and other partner agencies really support provision and resourcing for pupils with SEND. All this adds to their positive outcomes.
• Since joining the academy trust, leaders have redesigned the curriculum specifically with pupils’ needs and interests in mind. Trips to relevant places of interest, big launch days and end-of-unit events to which parents are invited all create and sustain pupils’ excitement and enjoyment. Strong links across subjects further support learning.
• Leaders foster pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development exceptionally well. The school’s curriculum supports this seamlessly. Staff make the links between fundamental British values, the school’s and the trust’s values, the curriculum goals, and the personal, social and health education objectives abundantly clear. Diversity is celebrated at every possible opportunity, culminating in the Year 6 topic about what it is to be British. Pupils are given time and encouragement to reflect deeply on these important ideas. Consequently, pupils show empathy, respect and interest in people from backgrounds different from themselves. This prepares them well for life in modern Britain.
• Leaders ensure that the primary physical education (PE) and sport premium is spent very effectively. Provision for physical well-being is exemplary. Leaders provide a range of opportunities for pupils to engage in physical activity. They make sure there is something to suit all tastes. In this way, participation has increased.

Governance of the school

• Governance and support from the trust are very effective.
• School board members are very knowledgeable about the school, which helps them understand and challenge the information they get about how well pupils are doing.
• The trust has adopted a new system of governance, with clearly designated roles and responsibilities for each school board and, in turn, for each member on those boards.
• Individual school board members are linked to a senior member of staff in school and build an ongoing, positive relationship which allows them to explore a specific aspect of the school’s work in depth.
• The trust has made some significant changes to the physical structure of the school, such as the installation of fire doors, upgrading the electrical system and installing smoke detectors. This has all contributed to greater site safety.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Safeguarding procedures are robust. Procedures for checking suitability when recruiting staff, volunteers and governors are rigorous and carefully recorded. Leaders ensure that training is up to date and that induction procedures for new staff are comprehensive. Consequently, staff are confident in what to look out for and how to report any concerns.
• Leaders work closely with a range of agencies to get the best for their most vulnerable pupils and families. In order to facilitate this important work, a new family worker was appointed. This is already paying dividends in terms of building productive relationships with families and providing timely support.
• There is a strong focus on first aid and meeting pupils’ medical needs. Parents are very complimentary about how well the school supports pupils with medical issues. Leaders have brought in a new system to ensure that any injuries are carefully logged and parents are informed in a timely manner. Leaders are aware of the size of the site so have invested in training more first aiders than is required to ensure that pupils can be seen quickly should they sustain any injuries or feel unwell.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Pupils say they focus well in lessons and inspectors’ visits to classrooms confirmed that this was the case. Pupils cite the use of the behaviour triangle, the pivotal element of the school’s behaviour policy, as one of the main reasons for the good behaviour seen.
• Teachers’ high expectations are clear and teachers use the triangle system to promote and reward positive behaviour for learning. This results in classrooms that are conducive places to learn.
• Teachers explain concepts well, which enables pupils to tackle the tasks they are given. Teachers note pupils who need further input. In this way, all pupils are helped to acquire new knowledge. This was particularly evident in a Year 6 algebra lesson where some pupils were given extra time with the teacher, enabling them to complete their work confidently.
• Teachers anticipate possible misconceptions and ensure that their explanations deal with these. For example, in Year 1, teachers made sure that pupils understood that five groups of two is not the same as two groups of five. Pupils therefore went on to record this mathematics accurately.
• Teachers have good questioning skills. They prompt and encourage pupils to express their ideas and explore them orally in a range of subjects across the curriculum. However, this thinking and reasoning is not as well embedded in mathematics as it is in other subjects.
• The teaching of writing is a particular strength. There are strong links across the curriculum so pupils can use their historical knowledge to write biographies of historical figures and their understanding of geography to write fact files about different parts of the world. Pupils refer back to the learning in their topic books to support their writing.
• Teachers ensure that pupils have the time and the skills to edit their work. Editing is a crucial part of the writing process. Pupils are keen to discuss and reflect on their work so that they can improve it. Teachers often use examples of pupils’ work to prompt discussions about refining and enhancing writing. Consequently, the end result is very accomplished.
• Teachers give pupils feedback in a range of ways, both verbally and in written form. They follow the school’s feedback policy consistently. However, there is some variability in the quality of this feedback. The best examples enable pupils to really think about their learning and prompt them to discuss and explain what they have learnt. Not all feedback is of this same high quality. Moreover, teachers do not always give pupils the time to reflect on their learning in order to deepen their understanding. This is particularly the case in mathematics.
• The teaching of phonics is effective. This enables pupils to use their phonics knowledge when reading and writing. The pupils who read to inspectors from Years 2, 3 and 6 showed a real love of books and used a range of strategies to help them understand what they were reading.
• The teaching of pupils with SEND is highly effective. Staff are well deployed and pupils often use concrete apparatus to ensure understanding.

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 very confident learners. When speaking to inspectors, pupils could talk about their learning in an articulate and comprehensive way.
• Pupils are really proud of their learning. They were keen to show inspectors the work in their books and really appreciate being chosen for awards and certificates.
• In lessons, pupils collaborate well and discuss their learning in a sensible and sensitive way, taking each other’s views into account.
• Relationships across the school are very strong. Adults and pupils relate very well to each other. Leaders have created a culture of mutual respect.
• Pupils have a clear understanding of bullying, including cyber-bullying. Most pupils say that there is now no bullying at the school. Were it ever to occur, all the pupils who spoke to inspectors state unequivocally that adults would deal with it swiftly and effectively.
• Pupils have a well-developed understanding of how to stay safe. They are particularly knowledgeable about e-safety. They say that they would never, for example, divulge any personal details online and would always alert an adult to any inappropriate content. They really appreciate the regular updates on e-safety in their computing lessons.
• Pupils know what to do in the event of a fire and are confident as to first aid procedures in school. They know, for example, that all classrooms have first aid kits and who the first aiders are.
• The excellent use of the sport funding, the daily mile, the access to a wide range of extra-curricular clubs, the well-organised playtime activities all contribute strongly to pupils’ understanding of the benefits of a healthy and active lifestyle.
• Support for pupils’ emotional well-being is exemplary. A number of adults in school have been trained as mental health first aiders. They can spot early signs of distress or anxiety and know when concerns need to be passed on to mental health professionals. Leaders provide a specialist nurture programme for pupils who are experiencing emotional difficulties. This has been very beneficial in dealing with emotional barriers to learning, and supporting vulnerable pupils to gain the confidence and strategies needed to reintegrate successfully into the mainstream classroom.
• There is a range of other bespoke therapy and counselling services available so that solutions can be tailored to individual pupils.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• Pupils focus extremely well in lessons. They understand and appreciate the school’s behaviour policy and say that the chance of getting a postcard sent home praising your effort and conscientiousness is a very strong motivator.
• Conduct in and around the school is calm. Lunchtimes are convivial and pupils follow the conventions well so that the logistics of feeding such a large number of children run smoothly.
• Playtimes are enjoyable. The pupils who met with inspectors had a lot to say about how much they enjoyed playtimes and using the equipment provided. Adults and specially trained Year 6 pupils encourage fun and productive playtimes. There are strategies in place to ensure that everyone has someone to play with. There is plenty to do, and pupils particularly like the outdoor gym.
• Pupils new to the school say that they were made to feel very welcome and that the school is very caring.
• Highly effective strategies have improved attendance and reduced the level of persistent absenteeism significantly. There is a dedicated team that works closely with parents, building trust and positive relationships. This has contributed greatly to the improvements seen.
• Pupils with particular behavioural needs are very well supported to manage and regulate their behaviour. For example, during the inspection, pupils were seen using such strategies as taking themselves off to the sensory room to calm down. These approaches do not disrupt others and ensure that the pupils concerned are quickly able to get themselves back on track and learning. This support for behaviour has resulted in a significant reduction in the number of exclusions compared to this time last year. The number of poor behavioural incidents logged in school has also decreased.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Outcomes in the Year 1 phonics screening check are above average. This gives pupils a good basis for developing reading and writing skills securely as they move on up the school.
• Progress in mathematics dipped across key stage 2 in 2018. However, leaders are clear on the reasons for this and have put a range of successful measures in place to address this. The impact of this work can already be seen. For example, creating extra time for the teaching of arithmetic has considerably improved pupils’ fluency in adding, subtracting, dividing and multiplying. The current focus is on ensuring that pupils think and reason mathematically as this is not yet embedded.
• Leaders successfully improved progress in writing across key stage 2 to above average in 2018. Work in pupils’ English books shows that pupils continue to make really strong progress in their writing skills. For example, they spend time editing their work so that the final piece is really accomplished.
• Inspectors read with pupils of different ages and starting points. The most able readers were very competent and knowledgeable about books. Lower-ability pupils read with confidence, correcting themselves where necessary. All pupils professed a love of reading.
• Pupils make good progress across the curriculum. They acquire skills and knowledge in a range of subjects. This will stand them in good stead as they move on to secondary school.
• Disadvantaged pupils often make better progress than their classmates. Where any disadvantaged pupils are falling behind, leaders provide well-chosen and carefully monitored interventions that enable them to make rapid progress to get back on track. For example, pupils in a recent reading intervention made nearly a year’s worth of progress, as gauged by the school’s tracking system, in just six weeks.
• Pupils with SEND make good progress because leaders ensure their needs are well met. They receive effective support both in lessons and in bespoke programmes such as the nurture facility.

Early years provision Good

• There has been considerable turnover of staff in early years. The new team has wasted no time in making changes. Staff are ambitious for the children in their care.
• Alongside this, there has been substantial capital investment to improve the environment. The outdoor learning area has had some excellent additions and really stimulates children’s interest.
• Provision for children with SEND is effective. Children are identified quickly for early help. Staff are skilled at ensuring these children can access activities and resources so that they can learn well.
• A strong feature of the curriculum is the focus on stories. Stories are taught with actions and key vocabulary and then reinforced through activities. This leads to children choosing to act out and write about these stories. For example, inspectors saw children using phrases such as ‘Once upon a time’ to retell ‘The Three Little Pigs’.
• Children learn particularly well when they choose activities both inside and in the outdoor space. Leaders ensure that teachers provide a range of exciting resources that engage and inspire. Adults are skilled at supporting children’s learning. They question and prompt when learning stalls, yet can equally spot when children are engrossed and do not need an adult to intervene.
• The good teaching that children receive leads to a higher-than-average proportion reaching a good level of development. This means children are well prepared for moving on to Year 1.
• Relationships are equally strong in the early years as in the rest of the school. Adults consistently promote good manners, turn-taking and kind words. Consequently, children are polite and friendly.
• Leaders have worked well with parents to encourage them to engage with their children’s learning. For example, they contribute to the online system for capturing milestones in learning and really enjoy sharing learning during the ‘Weave the Magic’ sessions. Parents who spoke to inspectors or completed the online survey were very complimentary about the early years.
• Safeguarding is equally effective in the early years as it is in the rest of the school. For example, leaders complete comprehensive risk assessments for the many trips that children go on.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 143110 Bromley 10058951 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 663 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Doug Robinson Nicola Crockatt 020 8467 4223 www.redhill.bromley.sch.uk admin@redhill.bromley.sch.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• This school is considerably larger than an average-sized primary school.
• This school joined The Pioneer Academy in September 2016. Its predecessor school was judged to require improvement at its inspection in June 2015.
• The Pioneer Academy Trust’s board of trustees is the appropriate authority but delegates much of the work of running the school to the local school board. Documentation on the trust’s website clarifies these roles and responsibilities.
• The early years consists of three Reception classes. There are also three classes in Year 1 and Year 2. Pupils from a nearby infant school join Red Hill in Year 3, so all key stage 2 year groups have four classes.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is slightly lower than average.
• Fewer than one in ten pupils speak English as an additional language, and this is lower than average.
• Most pupils are from White British backgrounds. Just under a third of pupils come from a range of different minority ethnic backgrounds, representing 14 of the 17 categories on the census. This is a slightly lower proportion than the national average.
• The proportion of pupils with SEND is average.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors visited every class in the school at least once. On most of these visits, inspectors were accompanied by a senior leader.
• Inspectors met with teachers, middle leaders, senior leaders, members of the school board, senior trust staff, including the chief executive officer and the chair of the trust board.
• Inspectors spoke to pupils to gain their views both formally and informally, such as in lessons, in the playground and in the lunch hall. They read with pupils and looked at the work in pupils’ books. They also took account of the seven responses to the pupil survey and the 43 responses to the staff survey.
• The inspection team took into account the 320 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, as well as the comments left on the free-text facility. They also spoke to parents before and after school informally to gather their views.
• Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation including that relating to safeguarding, minutes of school board meetings, the school’s self-evaluation and development planning, attendance figures, information about the sport premium, SEND funding and the pupil premium, and curriculum information from the school’s website.

Inspection team

Jeanie Jovanova, lead inspector Frances Hawkes Ann Pratt Martina Martin

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector