Wolf Fields Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Ensure that leaders and teachers have consistently high expectations for pupils’ outcomes, particularly middle-ability pupils, the most able and those who are disadvantaged.
• Ensure that teaching, including in early years, is well matched to pupils’ needs and routinely challenges them to achieve the standard of which they are capable.
• Improve leadership and management and pupils’ outcomes by making sure that:
  • leaders’ checks on the school’s effectiveness are underpinned by a thorough and accurate understanding of the quality of teaching and pupils’ outcomes over time
  • plans for improvement focus sharply on addressing weaknesses in teaching so that pupils make consistently good progress
  • leaders make effective use of assessment information to check the impact of strategies to improve pupils’ outcomes, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities
  • in early years, leaders work together cohesively to assess children’s learning and improve the quality of the provision
  • the governing body provides leaders with well-focused support and challenge in order to improve the standard of education. An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved. An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management

Requires improvement

• Until recently, leaders’ work has not been sufficiently focused on identifying and tackling weaknesses in the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. This has prevented leaders and staff from maintaining the good quality of education. Pupils’ outcomes across the school have declined.
• Compared with other schools, a much higher proportion of pupils join and leave Wolf Fields midway through an academic year or key stage. Many of these pupils join at the very early stages of speaking English. Leaders, including governors, have been too ready to accept this as the reason for the decline in pupils’ outcomes. As a result, leaders have been slow to recognise that teaching, including in early years, is not routinely challenging enough, particularly for most-able and middle-attaining pupils.
• The headteacher is ambitious for pupils. She rightly recognises that they are capable of more. However, her drive to raise standards has been diluted by numerous changes in staff, including at senior leadership level. Consequently, any improvements in pupils’ outcomes, for example in the 2016 key stage 2 mathematics results, have not been sustained.
• Leaders and teachers keep a close eye on pupils’ progress on an individual level. However, leaders’ use of assessment information has not routinely enabled them to target additional support to groups of pupils who need it most. Leaders are uncertain whether strategies in place to support disadvantaged pupils have led to improvements in their academic outcomes. Consequently, leaders’ use of the pupil premium funding is not as effective as it should be.
• Leaders have recently changed the way they check pupils’ progress over time and now analyse assessment information with sufficient depth and rigour. This is assisting leaders and teachers to put in place timely support for pupils who have fallen behind in their learning. It is too soon to judge whether this work will lead to sustained improvements in pupils’ outcomes over time, including those pupils eligible for the pupil premium.
• The majority of senior and middle leaders are new to their roles. Working effectively alongside the headteacher, they have a sound understanding of what they need to do to improve teaching. They have recently introduced a range of strategies with this aim. Work in pupils’ books shows that leaders’ work is having a positive effect on the progress of the current pupils. Nevertheless, the quality of pupils’ learning continues to vary across the school, including for children in early years.
• This year, leaders have adopted a more thorough approach to checking that teaching promotes consistently good gains in pupils’ learning. Teachers are now held to account for the impact they have as opposed to the things they do. Teachers value leaders’ guidance and are keen to develop the effectiveness of their classroom practice.
• The provision for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is well led and managed. Recently appointed leaders quickly recognised that the provision for these pupils was failing to meet their needs. They have wasted no time in securing key improvements. Wisely, leaders have prioritised making sure that pupils’ needs are understood and that teachers plan learning that caters for these needs. Nevertheless, remaining weaknesses in assessment mean that leaders are unable to check fully the impact of any extra support these pupils receive.
• Pupils benefit from a broad curriculum, with meaningful opportunities to develop their skills and understanding in subjects such as music, French and computing. The science curriculum is also improving because pupils have regular opportunities to explore their understanding through investigations and practical tasks.
• Leaders make effective use of the physical education and sport premium funding to promote exercise as an important component of a healthy lifestyle. For example, they have invested in additional playground equipment and after-school clubs to ensure that pupils take part in physical activity regularly.
• The curriculum promotes good gains in pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The school’s ‘golden rules’, which leaders devised together with the school council, deepen pupils’ understanding of concepts such as respect and tolerance. Through the curriculum, including events such as ‘intergenerational’ day, pupils learn to understand and respect others, including those who may have different views or experiences to their own.
• Pupils’ personal development is at the heart of the school’s work. Leaders and staff work with both passion and determination to make sure that all pupils feel included and well cared for, irrespective of when they join the school community. Equally, leaders ensure that pupils value their education and are reluctant to miss a day from school. This, together with strong partnerships with external agencies and families, has led to a considerable reduction in persistent absence over the last two years.
• Leaders ensure that parents feel closely involved with their children’s education and are confident in raising concerns should they arise. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school’s work. Nevertheless, at the time of the inspection, the website did not provide parents with all the required statutory information on the school’s work.

Governance of the school

• Governors have provided leaders with effective support in addressing difficulties with the school’s budget. While this work has undoubtedly been both necessary and helpful, the governing body has lost sight of its responsibility to hold leaders to account for the standard of education.
• Governors have a limited awareness of how leaders spend additional funding to support disadvantaged pupils. They have not challenged leaders about whether this funding is spent well.
• At the time of the inspection, governors had not made sure that the school’s website met statutory requirements. For example, they were unaware that up-to-date information on the school’s use of the physical education and sport premium funding was unavailable. Despite this omission, the governing body has a secure understanding of how leaders use this money to improve pupils’ participation in sport.
• Governors care about the school and want pupils to do well. They recognise that more work is needed to improve the effectiveness of their work. They have recently appointed new members in order to increase their ability to hold leaders to account.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Pupils feel safe and well looked after. Leaders have created a culture where pupils feel confident in sharing any worries they may have. They trust that adults will listen and respond sensitively to any information they share. Parents agree that their children are safe and happy in school.
• Leaders and staff ensure that pupils develop an age-appropriate awareness of potential risks to their safety, including those they may encounter on the internet or outside school. For example, community police officers have spoken to older pupils about how to stay safe when they travel to and from school.
• Staff do not hesitate to inform leaders when they are concerned that pupils may be suffering from abuse or harm. Leaders ensure that staff receive the training they need to understand and spot different risks to pupils’ safety, such as female genital mutilation or domestic violence.
• When concerns arise about pupils’ well-being, leaders are tenacious in their work to ensure that these pupils receive well-targeted extra help and protection. Regular communication with families and external agencies forms the basis for this work. Leaders work closely with families who are experiencing difficulties to ensure that their children’s welfare is not at risk.
• The large school site is secure and well maintained. Leaders ensure that any visitors to the school understand the systems in place to keep pupils safe.
• Suitable arrangements are in place to ensure that pupils receive the care they need if they feel unwell or need first aid. Pupils told inspectors that staff care for them well.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inconsistent. Pupils of all abilities do not typically benefit from the teaching they need to make good gains in their skills and knowledge over time.
• Teachers sometimes set work for pupils that is not demanding enough. This is particularly the case for middle-attaining pupils and those who are the most able. Teachers want pupils to do well, but their aspirations for pupils’ outcomes need to be higher.
• The teaching of writing is improving because teachers select resources that motivate pupils to write. Pupils are keen to include more adventurous vocabulary and different types of sentences in their writing. However, some teaching is not ambitious for pupils, particularly for the most able. Sometimes, teachers do not set high enough expectations for the quality or quantity of pupils’ writing.
• Mathematics teaching provides pupils with frequent opportunities to practise their arithmetic and calculation skills, including formal written methods. However, pupils’ progress is uneven because they sometimes practise calculations that are too easy for them. On occasions, teachers do not provide pupils with clear guidance on how to record their learning, for example when they draw shapes or set out calculations.
• Leaders have recently changed the school’s approach to the teaching of reading. Greater weight is now given to the development of comprehension skills, such as inference and deduction. Pupils are eager to read and enjoy discussing the meaning of texts with teachers and their peers. Whole-school events, such as the celebration of World Book Day, contribute well to pupils’ positive attitudes to reading. However, sometimes teachers plan activities without being clear about how they intend to deepen pupils’ understanding of the texts they read. Equally, teachers do not routinely ensure that younger pupils, particularly lower attaining and the most able pupils, read books that are well matched to their abilities. This reduces their progress over time.
• Through recent training for staff, leaders are taking effective steps to improve phonics teaching. However, inconsistencies remain in the quality of teaching between classes and groups. Sometimes, gaps in adults’ subject knowledge mean that they do not model phonics skills well or address pupils’ errors effectively.
• In the past, pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities were not routinely taught alongside their peers. Teachers relied too heavily on the use of small-group sessions to meet these pupils’ needs. Pupils now remain in lessons with their peers and teachers are increasingly planning well-focused activities to support pupils in overcoming their barriers to learning.
• Teaching assistants typically make a positive contribution to pupils’ learning, including for those pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities and those who are at the early stages of speaking English. Adults are sensitive to pupils’ needs and encourage them to try hard.
• Specialist teaching in French, computing and music is typically of good quality. Teachers have strong subject knowledge. They plan activities that challenge pupils of all abilities to develop subject-specific skills and understanding at the standard expected for their age.

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 polite, considerate and well-rounded young people who value their education, as their good attendance shows.
• Leaders and staff pay careful attention to promoting pupils’ emotional well-being. They are highly attuned to pupils’ needs and signs that they may be feeling anxious or overwhelmed. Through adults’ high-quality care and guidance, including in-school counselling, pupils receive the support they need to grow in confidence and feel secure.
• Parents agree that their children are safe and happy in school. As one parent commented, ‘Children at the school are very polite, always smiling and happy.’
• Playtimes are sociable and harmonious. Pupils told inspectors that adults ensure that everyone gets on well together and feels included. They said that unkind behaviour, including bullying or racist language, is not tolerated. School records confirm that incidents of bullying or discriminatory behaviour are rare and managed effectively by leaders and staff.
• In classrooms, pupils want to do well and are keen to share their learning with their peers. They usually listen respectfully to each other’s ideas and respond positively to any guidance adults provide. On occasions, some adults do not reinforce the school’s expectations for pupils’ attitudes to learning. When this happens, sometimes pupils talk over each other or the teacher.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils conduct themselves sensibly throughout the school day, including at playtimes and in the breakfast club.
• Pupils told inspectors that they behave well. They appreciate how staff provide them with clear and consistent expectations on how to play and learn together sensibly. School records confirm that there are few incidents of unacceptable behaviour and that staff apply school procedures for promoting good behaviour effectively.
• If pupils experience any difficulties in managing their behaviour, leaders ensure that they benefit from well-targeted extra help to follow school routines and expectations. There have been no exclusions in recent years.
• Pupils attend well. Leaders follow up absence tenaciously to ensure that pupils are not disadvantaged by poor attendance. Levels of persistent absence reduced considerably in 2017.
• Pupils’ learning is not usually disrupted by silly or off-task behaviour. However, when teaching does not cater well for pupils’ needs, they sometimes lose concentration. On occasions, staff do not expect pupils to refocus on their learning as quickly as they could.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Pupils do not routinely achieve to the best of their abilities in a range of subjects. School assessment information and work in books show that pupils’ progress is improving. Nevertheless, pupils’ outcomes remain uneven across subjects and classes.
• By the end of Year 6, pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics is below that of other schools nationally. Over time, pupils, particularly those of middle ability, do not make the strong progress necessary to achieve age-expected standards.
• The most able pupils do not typically benefit from the teaching they need to achieve the higher standard in the national assessments at the end of key stage 2.
• Outcomes for disadvantaged pupils require improvement. While these pupils make good gains in their emotional and social development, their academic outcomes are variable and sometimes weak, particularly in mathematics. In two out of the last three years, disadvantaged pupils in Year 6 made much less progress through key stage 2 than their peers nationally.
• Pupils’ outcomes in key stage 1 are variable. Although still below the national average, the proportion of pupils attaining or exceeding age-expected standards increased in 2017. Further work is needed to ensure that this improvement is maintained over time.
• In Year 1, pupils’ attainment in the phonics screening check declined in 2016 and was below the national average. Improvements in phonics teaching resulted in pupils attaining standards broadly similar to those in other schools nationally in 2017. School assessment information suggests that these improvements will be sustained for the current pupils. However, remaining variability in the quality of phonics teaching means that pupils’ progress over time remains uneven.
• With the aim of raising standards in mathematics, leaders and teachers are ensuring that pupils have opportunities to deepen their understanding of key concepts through problem-solving and reasoning activities. This is starting to have a positive impact on pupils’ outcomes, particularly most-able and middle-attaining pupils. Nevertheless, this approach to mathematics teaching is not fully embedded. It is too soon to evaluate whether it will enable a greater proportion of pupils to meet or exceed age-related standards.
• Pupils’ attainment in science by the end of key stages 1 and 2 has been below the national figures for the last two years. Through improvements to the curriculum and science teaching, standards in science are rising.
• Pupils who join the school at the early stages of speaking English as an additional language benefit from the support they need to settle in quickly and develop positive attitudes to their learning. Through well-focused extra help, pupils typically make strong gains in their speaking and listening skills and quickly become confident in communicating with their peers and adults.

Early years provision Requires improvement

• Leaders are not working together effectively to improve the early years provision. They disagree on which approach they should use to check children’s outcomes and on how much progress children are making. As a result, leaders have been unable to establish a shared understanding of the strengths of the provision as well as the areas that need to be better.
• The quality of teaching in early years is inconsistent. Leaders and teachers are not making effective use of assessment information to plan learning that caters well for children of different abilities. This is particularly the case for the most able children.
• In order to prepare children for Year 1, teaching gives due weight to the development of children’s basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics. Teachers select stimulating books and resources to instil children with a love of reading. At the same time, teachers make effective use of high-quality texts as a basis for extending children’s vocabulary and their understanding of language. This usually promotes good gains in both children’s early reading and communication skills. Nevertheless, teaching does not provide sufficient opportunities that motivate children, and in particular boys, to write and apply their phonics knowledge.
• In 2017, the proportion of children that achieved a good level of development was broadly in line with the national figure. This is the first time this has been the case in recent years. Disadvantaged children also achieved well. Their attainment was above that of other children nationally in 2017. Leaders have different views on whether these improvements will be maintained for the 2018 cohort of children. Work in children’s books shows that the progress of current children is uneven.
• Teaching provides for interesting activities across all areas of the early years curriculum. For example, in the outdoor area, children enjoyed developing their balance and coordination by playing with hoops and tyres.
• Children behave well. They usually explore the resources and activities on offer sensibly and are considerate of their peers.
• Relationships between children and staff are warm and caring. Adults keep a close eye on children’s well-being and are quick to provide comfort or reassurance to ensure that children feel settled and are well looked after.
• The classrooms, including the outdoor spaces, are safe and usually well organised. Leaders ensure that safeguarding arrangements are effective and that the statutory welfare requirements of the early years foundation stage are met.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 101909 Ealing 10047397 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 Maintained 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 393 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Graeme Russell Simoné Neil 020 8571 7970 www.wolffieldsprimary.co.uk admin@wolffields.ealing.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 25–26 September 2013

Information about this school

• Wolf Fields is larger than the average-sized primary school.
• Since the previous inspection, there have been many changes in staff, including at senior leadership level. The headteacher was appointed in September 2015. The remaining middle and senior leaders were appointed within the last year.
• The school meets the government’s floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ progress and attainment by the end of Year 6.
• The school has a mobile population, with a higher than typical number of pupils joining or leaving the school midway through an academic year. This is the case in every year group. Most of these pupils are at the very early stages of speaking English.
• The proportion of pupils eligible for pupil premium funding is above the national average, as is the proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language. The number of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is broadly similar to that in other schools.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors visited classes in every year group. They observed pupils’ learning in a wide range of subjects, including computing, music, French and physical education. Inspectors also reviewed work in pupils’ books during visits to lessons and carried out an in-depth book scrutiny with senior leaders.
• Inspectors met with members of the governing body and the school’s improvement adviser from the local authority. The lead inspector also held a telephone discussion with the chair of governors. Written records of the work of the governing body were also reviewed.
• Meetings were held with senior and middle leaders to evaluate the impact of their work. Documentation related to safeguarding, and pupils’ attendance, behaviour and achievement was also considered. The single central record of pre-employment checks on adults working in the school was also reviewed.
• Inspectors listened to pupils from key stages 1 and 2 read. They also met with a group of pupils and spoke to pupils informally during visits to classrooms and in the playground. There were no responses to Ofsted’s online survey for pupils.
• The views of staff were taken into account through informal discussions throughout the inspection, a meeting with a group of staff and the 21 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.
• Inspectors considered the views of parents through informal discussions before school and the 11 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire. This included nine written comments.

Inspection team

Sarah Murphy-Dutton, lead inspector Sarah Jones Christopher Crouch Olivia Cole

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector