Havelock Primary School and Nursery Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of the early years provision by ensuring that leaders and other adults:
  • make sure that the quality of teaching is consistently effective
  • increase children’s progress and attainment so that children achieve well and are prepared for their learning in key stage 1
  • maximise on opportunities to support children’s language development.
• Raise teachers’ expectations of what the most able pupils can achieve in writing.
• Strengthen further the science and humanities curriculum so that pupils have more opportunities to deepen their knowledge and understanding.
• Ensure that pupils apply their writing skills well in a wide range of subjects.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Since the previous inspection, there have been some key changes to the leadership team. The headteacher and her senior leaders have worked diligently to make sure that the quality of teaching is consistently good across the school. This has resulted in almost all pupils making strong progress in their learning.
• Leaders and governors have created an inclusive school community in which all pupils are valued and respected. The school’s values of ‘four Rs’, which are ‘resilience, reflection, resourcefulness and building relationships’, permeate the school at every level. For example, Year 1 pupils learn that to form good relationships, they need to have empathy and share ideas with their peers. Pupils talked knowledgeably about these values to inspectors.
• Staff morale is high. Teachers value the professional training that they receive to improve their own teaching and outcomes for pupils.
• The curriculum offers pupils a wide range of motivating learning activities in a range of subjects of the national curriculum. Pupils’ learning is enhanced beyond the classroom in a variety of ways, such as educational trips and after-school clubs. However, sometimes, the tasks set for pupils in science and humanities are not routinely challenging enough to deepen pupils’ learning. This hinders pupils’ progress in these subjects.
• The sports funding is used effectively to improve the quality of teaching in physical education (PE). For example, there are more opportunities for pupils to participate in sporting competitions, such as tennis and football. This helps pupils to live healthy lifestyles.
• Leaders and teachers provide a range of opportunities for pupils to develop strong spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness. For example, pupils in Year 5 wrote letters to a Member of Parliament expressing their views about the right to special protection as a refugee and the right to live with their parents. Pupils demonstrate a good understanding about democracy.

Governance of the school

• Governors fulfil their duties effectively. They contribute to key documents such as the school’s self-evaluation and plans for improvement. Governors know the strengths and areas for improvement well.
• Governors ensure that the additional funding for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and disadvantaged pupils is used effectively to make a positive difference to pupils’ outcomes.
• Governors support the work of leaders effectively. They challenge leaders well in order to gain a good understanding of the school’s overall effectiveness.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Parents and staff agree that pupils are safe and well looked after at school. Leaders hold regular workshops for parents and carers on various safeguarding matters, such as online safety and female genital mutilation, to help them keep their children safe.
• Staff spoken to during the inspection know the school’s procedures for raising concerns about pupils, should they need to do so.
• Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe through the school’s personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education curriculum, assemblies, whole-school events and lessons. Older pupils receive talks from the local community police officer about staying safe and the dangers of drugs, knives and being part of gangs.
• Governors and senior leaders regularly check that all staff and volunteers who work with pupils are vetted appropriately, in line with latest statutory guidance.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• There is a positive climate for learning in classrooms. Displays are stimulating and support pupils’ learning and thinking well. Pupils told inspectors they enjoy their learning.
• Typically, teachers have good subject knowledge. This is evident, for example, in the manner in which they question pupils to check their understanding of what is being taught.
• The quality of teaching reading is good. Pupils talked enthusiastically to inspectors about their love of reading. Pupils across the school make strong progress.
• The teaching of mathematics is a strength of the school. Pupils develop a secure understanding of number and use calculation skills well. Leaders are providing pupils with opportunities to apply their mathematics to solve problems and develop their reasoning skills.
• Additional adults support pupils well, including those pupils with SEND. For example, inspectors saw effective support during reading sessions where additional adults extended pupils’ inference skills well. They make a positive difference to the progress that these pupils make.
• Overall, the teaching of writing is effective. Pupils are taught to write in a range of different styles. They use ambitious vocabulary when writing to capture the interest of the reader. However, sometimes, pupils do not apply their writing skills well in different subjects. For example, pupils do not transfer their knowledge of sentence construction consistently well in subjects such as history.
• Occasionally, teachers’ expectations of what the most able pupils can write are not high enough and inconsistent across the school. For example, at times, the most able pupils are not encouraged to use their knowledge of interesting vocabulary consistently in their writing.
• Although teachers plan activities across a wide range of subjects, sometimes the learning activities they set are not sufficiently challenging. In subjects such as science, history and geography, opportunities to deepen pupils’ learning are not routinely strong.

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 proud of their school and achievements. The voice of one pupil summed up the views of others, ‘We love this school.’ Pupils are polite, respectful and courteous. For example, they hold doors open for adults and other visitors to the school.
• Pupils told inspectors that they are happy and safe at school. They report that they can talk to adults in school should they be worried about anything. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe online. For example, they know not to divulge personal details to others.
• Pupils learn about the different forms of bullying. They say that bullying is a rare occurrence in the school and the school’s bullying records reflect this.
• Leaders give pupils many opportunities to develop their leadership and social skills. School councillors and ‘green ambassadors’ help to keep the school free of litter, for example. This enables pupils to appreciate their rights and responsibilities within the school community.
• Staff promote the importance of living healthy lifestyles effectively. Pupils participate in a wide range of sporting activities, such as dodgeball. They run a mile daily in school to keep fit, and are encouraged to eat healthily.
• At times, pupils do not take pride in presenting their work neatly.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Parents and staff agree that pupils are well behaved.
• Pupils walk around the school in an orderly manner, which contributes to a calm and purposeful learning environment. They have a clear understanding of the school’s rules and rise to teachers’ expectations for good behaviour.
• Playtimes are happy times, where pupils get on well together and develop good social skills. Play leaders help their peers to cooperate in different activities.
• Leaders have taken effective action to ensure that pupils attend school regularly and on time. Attendance is in line with the national average. Persistent absence is improving and is just slightly above average. There were no exclusions last year.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Consistently good teaching enables most pupils to make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.
• The 2018 provisional assessment information shows that the proportion of pupils who achieved the expected standard in the phonics screening check was just slightly below the national average. This is an improvement in pupils’ phonics attainment since 2017 and is the result of effective phonics teaching. Younger pupils who read to inspectors used their phonics knowledge and skills well, to sound out unfamiliar words.
• Over the last three years, pupils’ progress in reading and writing at the end of key stage 2 was average. Leaders have taken effective action to ensure that pupils currently in the school make strong progress. Inspection evidence confirms that most pupils are making strong progress in reading and writing. However, the progress of most-able pupils could be even better. Inconsistencies in some teachers’ expectations of what these pupils can achieve in their writing are affecting pupils’ progress.
• The work in pupils’ mathematics books and school assessment information shows that all pupils make strong progress in mathematics.
• Pupils with SEND make good progress in their learning due to the well-matched interventions and support they receive to meet their individual needs.
• Disadvantaged pupils make strong progress in reading, writing and mathematics as a result of extra support.
• Pupils currently in the school gain strong knowledge, understanding and skills in a range of subjects. However, the opportunities for pupils to gain a deeper understanding in science, history and geography are inconsistent. Although pupils are given opportunities to practise their writing skills in different subjects, they do not routinely apply these well.

Early years provision Requires improvement

• Early years provision requires improvement because the quality of teaching is not sufficiently strong. Children do not make good progress from their starting points. The high turnover of staff has affected children’s achievement and leaders’ capacity to secure further improvement.
• The 2018 provisional assessment information shows that the proportion of children who achieved a good level of development was below the national average. This has been the case for the last three years. Some children have not made sufficient progress from their starting points. Consequently, children are not well prepared for their learning in Year 1.
• Leaders and staff provide a range of activities to engage children in their learning. For example, the investigation area provides children with real objects, such as pumpkins, to develop their observational drawing skills. However, the quality of teaching is not sufficiently strong. Opportunities to develop children’s communication and language skills are missed and inconsistent. Similarly, adults do not make the most of opportunities to extend children’s learning and check what children can and cannot do. This hinders children’s progress and attainment.
• There are inconsistencies in the teaching of phonics. Sometimes, opportunities for children to apply their phonics knowledge and skills to writing are overlooked.
• Leaders check the quality of teaching and learning routinely in the early years. They work closely with staff to support children’s learning.
• Children are well behaved. They work and play happily in a safe environment. Children share resources and cooperate with each other while working on their selected activities.
• There are strong links between staff and parents. These ensure that there is a seamless continuation of learning between home and school. Parents visit the early years regularly and are supported well through a number of ways, such as phonics workshops to help their children with reading at home.

School details

Unique reference number 101900 Local authority Ealing Inspection number 10056709 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 Community Age range of pupils 3 to 11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 393 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Bal Garcha Headteacher Clare Rees Telephone number 020 8571 7204 Website www.havelockprimaryschool.com/ Email address admin@havelock.ealing.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 13 –14 November 2012

Information about this school

• Since the school’s previous inspection there have been changes to the senior leadership team. The headteacher was appointed in November 2015.
• This is a large primary school compared to other schools.
• The proportion of pupils who are eligible for free school meals is broadly average.
• The proportion of pupils who are receiving special educational needs support and those who have education, health and care plans is average.
• There is a Nursery provision that admits children on a full-time and part-time basis.
• The school runs a breakfast club.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors visited classes with senior leaders, to observe pupils’ learning in a range of subjects. They scrutinised pupils’ work within and outside of lessons.
• The inspectors spoke to pupils to ascertain their views about learning while visiting lessons and met formally with one group of pupils. They talked to pupils during social times. They listened to pupils read from Years 1, 2, 4 and 6.
• Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour around the school, at playtimes and lunchtimes.
• Inspectors talked to parents informally at the start of the school day. They considered the 11 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View. Inspectors also analysed the school’s questionnaires for parents and carers, staff and pupils.
• Inspectors held meetings with governors, senior leaders and staff. The lead inspector held telephone conversations with a representative from the local authority and the chair of the governing body.
• Inspectors reviewed a wide range of school documentation, including documents related to the school evaluation, plans for improvement, safeguarding and information related to pupils’ progress and attainment.

Inspection team

Rajeshree Mehta, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Elizabeth Hayward Ofsted Inspector Rekha Bhakoo Ofsted Inspector