Selborne Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Increase the proportion of boys, including disadvantaged boys, attaining the higher standards in reading at the end of key stage 1.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• The headteacher’s exceptional leadership has created a highly effective school with a strong culture of continuous improvement. Since her appointment, she has worked closely with leaders and taken decisive action to improve the quality of teaching. The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is now outstanding and pupils make exceptional progress.
• The headteacher’s ambition for every child to excel is shared by all leaders, including governors, and staff. Leaders and staff are excellent role models for pupils and the school’s community.
• The middle leaders are highly skilled, committed and know their subjects well. They monitor the quality of teaching, undertake learning walks and evaluate the work in books to check pupils’ progress. In this way, they hold teachers to account for the progress pupils make. Middle leaders contribute to the school’s improvement plan through producing action plans for their subject areas. Overall, they greatly contribute to the school’s capacity to improve further.
• Leaders use a robust performance management system to improve teaching, learning and assessment. Challenging and personalised targets are set for individual teachers. Leaders provide effective coaching, support and training, including for recently qualified teachers, to improve the quality of teaching.
• Leaders track the progress of groups of pupils carefully on a regularly basis. Those pupils who are not making the progress they should are quickly identified and provided with high-quality support. In this way, leaders ensure that there are no barriers to pupils’ learning. Leaders are extremely committed to promoting equality of opportunity for all.
• Additional funding for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is used effectively, including for those in the additional resource unit, and has a positive impact on pupils’ learning. Consequently, these pupils make strong progress from their respective starting points.
• Governors and the headteacher allocate the pupil premium funding effectively to ensure that there is no difference in attainment and progress between disadvantaged and other pupils. Teachers and teaching assistants target support well for the groups of disadvantaged pupils.
• The broad and balanced curriculum is stimulating and engaging. There is a range of clubs, extra-curricular activities and visits to enrich pupils’ experiences. Leaders ensure that pupils achieve highly through being taught by subject specialists, for example in art, music, languages, dance and sport. The personal, social, health and education programme provides pupils with opportunities to be confident, resilient and self-reflective and to become responsible members of the local community.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding is promoted effectively and is successfully woven into all aspects of school life. Pupils are, for example, highly respectful and empathetic and know the difference between right and wrong.
• Pupils know about democracy and the rule of law through, for example, learning about elections, individual liberty and respect for diversity. They visit the Houses of Parliament and are involved in electing sports captains, house captains and members of the school council. They learn about other cultures, faiths and beliefs and visit different places of worship to widen their understanding of the religious diversity represented in British society. In this way, the school ensures that pupils are prepared extremely well for life in modern Britain.
• Leaders ensure that they use the primary physical education and sport premium effectively. Pupils are involved in a range of sporting activities and their participation is high. Pupils enjoy inter-sports competitions and teachers enhance their teaching skills through the use of sports coaches.
• The local authority provides ‘light-touch’ support for the school. Staff and leaders attend a range of training offered by the local authority.
• Staff are highly supportive of the school’s leadership, and parents who responded to the online survey, Parent View, agreed that the school is well led and managed.

Governance of the school

• Governors are highly skilled and knowledgeable and know the school’s strengths and areas for development extremely well. Governors make full use of their expertise to provide support and challenge to senior leaders to increase the school’s effectiveness. They are highly ambitious for the school and its pupils.
• Governors are well informed about the different aspects of the school, including the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement. They visit the school regularly to find out for themselves, for example, what learning and behaviour are like and how pupils are kept safe.
• They ensure that additional funding, such as the pupil premium and sport premium, contribute well to pupils’ learning and their broader experiences.
• Governors ensure that all statutory responsibilities are met, including those related to safeguarding.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• All staff and governors are appropriately trained on safeguarding policies and procedures. They have current knowledge and understanding of matters such as, for example, extremism, radicalisation and the ‘Prevent’ duty. Leaders have been effective in creating a strong culture of vigilance to keep pupils safe.
• Pupils who responded to Ofsted’s online pupil survey and those who spoke to inspectors said that they feel safe and secure.
• Safeguarding records are robust, completed with accuracy and very well kept. There are good links with parents and external agencies to keep pupils safe. Leaders follow up any referrals thoroughly and, where necessary, pursue these with resilience to their conclusion.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

• Staff have excellent relationships with pupils and have very high expectations for pupils’ work and behaviour. They know individual pupils very well and use the information on pupils’ progress carefully to meet their learning needs. Typically, learning is made relevant because it builds on previous learning. Consequently, pupils work hard and are highly motivated to do well.
• Pupils’ books demonstrate that the skills they have acquired in English are successfully transferred to writing in other areas of the curriculum. Consequently, the quality of writing in the wider curriculum is strong.
• Teachers and teaching assistants use questioning very skilfully to test pupils’ knowledge, extend their thinking and deepen their learning. There is a good emphasis on extending pupils’ vocabulary and providing them with a language-rich environment with plenty of opportunities for speaking and listening. This particularly helps pupils who speak English as an additional language to make rapid progress.
• The teaching of early reading is strong. As a result of excellent teaching of phonics, the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in the phonics screening check in 2016 was well above the national figure. Pupils use their phonics skills well to read difficult or unfamiliar words.
• Developing pupils’ reading has been a focus for school improvement. Reading is being taught effectively. Staff routinely test and challenge pupils’ understanding of the text. Pupils read a wide range of challenging texts. Consequently, pupils enjoy reading. For example, in a Year 1 class, pupils thoroughly enjoyed coming to the front of the class to read with expression to their classmates, who in return praised their reading and offered suggestions on how they can improve further. All pupils who read to inspectors did so with a great deal of confidence and enthusiasm.
• Pupils in the additional resource provision receive high-quality care and support, including from a range of external specialists, to meet their needs. They have rich opportunities for speaking and listening. Year 1 pupils and children in the Reception Year have good access to technology to support their learning. For example, they used information and communication technology well to identify and name different animals. Pupils also have opportunities to apply their numeracy and literacy skills during their weekly ‘shopping visits’ to the local shops. Pupils in the additional resource provision are integrated well in some of the activities in the main school, with opportunities to work with other pupils and widen their experiences.
• Teaching assistants are skilled and contribute well to pupils’ learning. They provide effective support for pupils, particularly those who need additional support, in small groups and on a one-to-one basis. In this way, disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make similar progress to that of their classmates.
• Writing is exceptionally well taught across the curriculum. Pupils write for a range of purposes and they write at length in English and across the curriculum. Their presentation and the quality of their work are excellent. A strong feature in English lessons is effective modelling by teachers to help pupils improve their writing, including grammar and punctuation.
• Teachers have strong subject knowledge in mathematics and provide pupils with calculations that enable pupils to use their thinking and reasoning skills to solve challenging problems. There is a strong emphasis on practical, everyday mathematics to bring this subject alive. For example, pupils in a Year 3 class solved mathematical problems by working backwards to calculate how many sweets were in a bag initially, if they had eaten a certain number.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Pupils have extremely positive attitudes and understand the school’s ‘You can do it’ values of ‘respect’, ‘getting along’, ‘resilience’, ‘persistence’, ‘confidence’ and ‘organisation.’
• Leaders ensure that pupils’ physical, emotional and social well-being is at the heart of the school’s work.
• Leaders have created strong working links with external agencies to meet the welfare needs and emotional well-being of pupils, including those attending the additional resource provision.
• Pupils take great pride in their work, including in its presentation, show a great deal of resilience in their learning, and are very proud of their school.
• Pupils have a range of responsibilities to promote their confidence and independence. For example, pupils enjoy being members of the school council, house captains, sports captains and monitors. These opportunities contribute extremely well to preparing pupils for the next stage of their education.
• Pupils are taught how to keep safe in a range of situations, including when using the internet. Pupils know about different types of bullying, including cyber bullying. Pupils report that they feel safe at school and that bullying is not an issue. They say that racist or homophobic language is rare. Pupils are very confident that any incidents of poor behaviour are dealt with effectively and promptly by staff.
• Pupils are extremely polite and well mannered. Inspectors observed very courteous and friendly behaviour, with pupils displaying mutual respect. Pupils move around school in an orderly manner and show high levels of respect during assemblies.
• Breakfast club is used effectively to provide opportunities for pupils to interact and socialise with each other and to further improve punctuality and attendance.
• Healthy eating and physical fitness are promoted well through the curriculum. Pupils say that they enjoy the healthy lunches provided at school.
• During the inspection, pupils were given an opportunity in an assembly to reflect on recent tragic national events. Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes were impeccable and they bowed their heads accordingly to reflect on the event. The assembly was used well to promote British values, tolerance and respect.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• Staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. The behaviour policy is consistently applied across the school and pupils know what is expected of them. Pupils know right from wrong and take responsibility for their own behaviour. Consequently, pupils conduct themselves well, and are self-disciplined and extremely well behaved.
• Pupils’ conduct in and out of lessons is exemplary. Pupils from all backgrounds get on exceptionally well with each other. They are highly respectful of each other and adults. Pupils are extremely polite to visitors and eager to share their work and achievements.
• There are very few incidents of unacceptable behaviour and pupils said that their lessons are rarely disrupted by pupils’ poor behaviour. This is confirmed by inspectors through checking the school’s records on behaviour and observing learning in lessons. Effective support for those few pupils who find it difficult to manage their own behaviour ensures that learning is rarely disturbed.
• In the additional resource provision, pupils’ behaviour is exceptional. Parents of this group of pupils are very pleased with the support that their children receive. Pupils enjoy their learning and their attendance is typically above average. No groups of pupils are disadvantaged by low attendance.

Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

• The leadership team has been effective in improving the quality of teaching, so that it is typically outstanding. Consequently, pupils are making exceptional progress from their starting points, which are generally well below those typical for their age when they start school.
• Many children start school at the early stages of learning English. Leaders and staff work hard to ensure that these children acquire English rapidly. By the time pupils start secondary school, their attainment overall is either in line with or above national standards. Pupils are well prepared for their next stage in education.
• In 2016, the proportion of pupils in Year 6 that reached the expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics combined was above the national average. Their attainment in English grammar, punctuation and spelling was well above average. Pupils’ progress at the end of Year 6 has been significantly strong in reading, writing and mathematics for the past three years.
• The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standards at the end of key stage 1 in 2016 in reading, writing and mathematics combined was above the national average.
• Pupils’ achievement in reading was weaker than in writing and mathematics. Leaders and staff have been unrelenting in improving pupils’ reading, and the school’s assessment of pupils’ work reflects the marked improvements in reading across the school. Although reading continues to improve across the school, leaders acknowledge the importance of ensuring that enough boys, including those who are disadvantaged, achieve the higher levels in reading at the end of key stage 1. In 2016, too few of these pupils were reading at greater depth.
• The proportion of pupils meeting the expected standards in the Year 1 phonics check was well above the national average in 2016. By the end of Year 2, the vast majority of pupils attained the expected standard in the phonics screening check. Pupils’ phonics skills contribute well to the progress pupils make in their reading.
• Pupils’ attainment is affected by a higher-than-average proportion of pupils entering school other than at the normal times across the year groups. Most of these pupils are at the early stages of learning English. Leaders track pupils’ progress meticulously. Information shows that the attainment of pupils who have been at the school from the Reception Year is better than that of those pupils who start later in the year or those who have missed learning in prior year groups.
• Disadvantaged pupils make exceptional progress and attain well overall. The school uses additional funding extremely well to provide good support and to help these pupils access the curriculum. As a result, their progress continues to improve, so that they achieve as well as their peers and others nationally in reaching expected standards.
• Evidence in lessons and pupils’ workbooks shows stronger progress than the school’s own information would suggest on occasions. Occasionally, staff are overcautious with their assessments.
• The most able pupils, including the most able disadvantaged pupils, do well. They make good and often better progress from their starting points. They are provided with challenging work and the work in their books shows that they achieve well. Higher attainers are avid readers and read for pleasure. The school’s information and inspection evidence indicate that the most able pupils continue to thrive and flourish. However, comparatively fewer boys, including disadvantaged boys, attain at a greater depth in reading at the end of key stage 1.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make progress that is in line with that of their peers. Their specific needs are identified quickly and support is effectively targeted. Staff, through their close work with external agencies, ensure that pupils who attend the additional resource provision make at least good progress from their low starting points. One parent said that the provision had ‘changed our lives and supports us with our daily challenges’.
• Pupils who speak English as an additional language make strong progress because leaders ensure that they receive highly effective support from the time they arrive at the school.
• The progress that pupils make in other subjects is evident in the quality of work in pupils’ books and displays on the classroom walls and in the corridors. In 2016, the proportion of pupils achieving the expected standards in science was in line with or above the national average in key stages 1 and 2.

Early years provision Outstanding

• Most children enter the early years with skills and abilities that are below, and sometimes well below, those typical for their age.
• As a result of exceptional teaching, guidance and support, children make strong progress from their starting points. The proportion of children who achieve a good level of development has been improving steadily over time. Attainment at the end of the Reception Year is in line with the national average. Children are very well prepared for their learning in Year 1.
• There are good links with parents to ensure that their child’s transition into school is as smooth as possible. Parents are always encouraged to visit the early years to see for themselves the learning taking place and to share their child’s learning. To help parents support their children’s learning, staff provide workshops, including ‘come and learn with me’ sessions and courses such as ‘speaking English with confidence’. Parents receive useful information regularly on their children’s progress.
• Leadership of the early years is strong. Leaders have an accurate picture of the strengths and relative weaknesses in the provision. They monitor the progress of children regularly and identify those who are not making the progress they should for additional support. For example, leaders identified boys were not doing as well as girls and have adapted teaching and resources accordingly to address this, for example by introducing the theme of ‘super-heroes’ to capture boys’ interest. As a result, the attainment gap between boys and girls has closed.
• Children are happy and settled and know the routines well. They are caring of each other and readily share resources. Children’s behaviour and attitudes are exceptional and these impact positively on the progress they make.
• Children show confidence in choosing their own activities, both indoors and outside. The outdoor area is lively and buzzes with excitement as the children make the maximum use of the resources and equipment available. For example, children enthusiastically built a train track going under a tunnel, and took part in painting activities and ‘car-washing’ sessions.
• Children take much pride in their work and are eager to share their achievements with adults and visitors. For example, one boy in the Reception class was eager to share his writing with the inspector and was proud that he can write in English and Arabic. He was also keen to share a ‘writing template’ he had made for his classmates to use.
• Children in Nursery develop their early reading and writing skills well. As part of their ‘out of this world theme’, children have made an astronaut and rockets using a range of materials. One child had written, ‘My alien is from Neptune, she lives there because it is cold and Neptune is far from the sun.’ A group of boys collaborated well with each other as they worked as a team to build a structure using wooden blocks.
• Staff in the additional resource provision provide additional support to children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. This ensures that this group of children make strong progress.
• Children’s language development is a high priority. The environment promotes children’s speaking and listening skills exceptionally well. Staff model language well to develop children’s language and vocabulary. This particularly helps children at the early stages of learning English to make rapid progress.
• Safeguarding is effective. There are no breaches of statutory welfare requirements.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 101886 Ealing 10031778 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 Community 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 610 Appropriate authority The governing body Co-Chairs Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Giles Bosworth Claudine King-Dabbs Kerry Shilling 020 8997 1947 www.selborne.ealing.sch.uk admin@selborne.ealing.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 11−12 October 2012

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• This school is larger than the average-sized primary school.
• Pupils come from a wide range of ethnic groups. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is well above average.
• The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well above average.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium is above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is about average.
• Children attend Nursery on a part-time basis. Children in Reception attend on a full-time basis. There are three Nursery classes and three Reception classes. The vast majority of children transfer from Nursery to Reception.
• The school runs an additional resource provision to support the development of children aged between four and 11 who have a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan with complex learning difficulties. The provision provides pupils with occupational and speech and language therapies. Currently there are 14 children in the provision.
• A higher-than-average proportion of pupils join the school in different year groups other than at the normal times.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for attainment and progress by the end of Year 6.
• The school runs a breakfast club for targeted pupils and a range of after-school activities.
• The school has gained the Healthy Schools London gold award for its work on keeping pupils healthy.
• There have been a number of changes to staffing since the previous inspection. The new headteacher was appointed in September 2015, with many new appointments to the senior and middle leadership being made since her appointment.

Information about this inspection

• The inspectors observed learning in nearly all classes, most of which were joint observations with either the headteacher or the deputy headteacher.
• A meeting was held with a group of pupils from different abilities and backgrounds in key stage 2 to discuss their learning and views about the school.
• Inspectors listened to pupils read in Years 1, 3 and 6 and discussed their reading with them.
• The inspectors held discussions with senior leaders, middle leaders, teachers and the two co-chairs of the governing body. Discussions were held with a local authority representative.
• The inspectors observed the school’s work and considered a range of documents, including the school’s improvement plan, checks on the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, information about pupils’ progress, attendance and behaviour records, and safeguarding arrangements.
• The inspectors scrutinised pupils’ work across the curriculum to check on pupils’ progress.
• The inspectors took account of 121 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View. In addition, inspectors spoke to 41 parents in the playground at the start of the school day. The inspectors also considered the 52 questionnaires completed by staff and 45 questionnaires completed by pupils.

Inspection team

Avtar Sherri, lead inspector Kanwaljit Singh Rekha Bhakoo Clementina Aina Gerard Strong Raj Mehta

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector