Bush Hill Park Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve teaching and pupils’ outcomes by:
  • teachers having higher expectations of what pupils can achieve
  • giving pupils, especially the most able, more difficult work
  • pupils not wasting time by spending too long on work that they have already mastered
  • teachers learning from best practice in this school and other schools where teaching is outstanding.
• Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by:
  • continuing to train new middle leaders so that they develop the skills to drive forward further improvements in teaching and learning across the year groups and subjects
  • finding even more ways to convince parents that their children’s absence has a negative impact on their successful learning.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The interim co-headteachers and governors are driving improvements at a good pace. They have high expectations of staff and pupils to achieve the school’s motto, ‘Be the best you can be’. Leaders have established effective systems for checking the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They use the information to plan actions that lead to improvements in the quality of teaching and pupils’ outcomes.
• Leaders regularly observe lessons, scrutinise pupils’ work and track their progress. They use their findings to arrange suitable training to help teachers and other members of staff to enhance their practice and to hold them to account for their pupils’ progress. Senior leaders do not shy away from making difficult decisions and taking action if the required improvement is not forthcoming. As a result, the quality of teaching across the key stages is improving and pupils make good progress. Teachers do not observe best practice found in the school and in outstanding schools. This limits their opportunities to broaden their training to become consistently outstanding teachers.
• Leaders are fully committed to inclusion. The school holds the inclusion quality mark. The well-led inclusion team provide excellent pastoral care for pupils and their families, by improving their physical, mental and emotional welfare. Their work is particularly effective in helping the many pupils whose circumstances make them vulnerable in overcoming barriers to their social development and academic progress. As a result, the numerous pupils who are late joiners, most of whom speak little English, pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities and disadvantaged pupils are well supported and make good progress.
• Leaders have planned a stimulating curriculum that enables pupils to gain new knowledge, understanding and skills across a range of subjects. Pupils spoke enthusiastically to inspectors about how they benefit from many educational visits, visitors and clubs that enhance their learning and broaden their horizons. The visit to a museum to understand how immigrants integrate and contribute to British society helped pupils to understand life in modern Britain. At the headquarters of a global banking group where they saw real gold and heard from bankers and city traders, pupils were helped to realise what they too can aspire to achieve. A woodwind quintet concert and participating in a local gymnastics festival, for instance, broaden pupils’ cultural, social and physical development.
• The newly appointed year heads and subject leaders are benefiting from effective mentoring from senior leaders. They have made a good start and are beginning to acquire the leadership skills they need to develop their teams and hold them to account for their performance. But it is too soon to judge the effectiveness of their actions.

Governance of the school

• Governors bring a range of professional expertise, including from the world of education, to bear on their work.
• Governors regularly visit the school to gain first-hand knowledge on all aspects of the school’s work. They require senior and, on occasion, middle leaders to report directly at governing body meetings. They often check data on pupils’ progress, including the disadvantaged and those pupils who join at other than the usual time.
• Governors use their knowledge of the school’s strengths and weaknesses to both challenge and support school leaders. They make a good contribution to ongoing improvements.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• The five trained designated safeguarding leaders and members of the inclusion team know all the pupils and their families very well. They provide staff with regular training and ongoing updates on safeguarding issues through the year. As a result, all members of staff are vigilant and report any concerns immediately.
• Leaders and members of the inclusion team work closely with parents and external agencies to make sure that pupils are safe and that their welfare is assured.
• The curriculum helps pupils to understand how to keep themselves safe in different situations. Recently, a police officer visited the school and taught the pupils how to stay safe on the streets. There is a strong emphasis on teaching pupils, including in the early years, on how to stay safe when using the internet.
• The school also runs workshops for parents to help them understand the dangers that their children may face. Members of staff give parents guidance on how they can help their children avoid danger.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teaching is good and improving. As a result, all groups of pupils make good progress and achieve well.
• Teachers and other adults establish a good rapport with their pupils. As a result, pupils build their confidence and are happy to try new things without fear of failure. Pupils learn effective strategies to try to resolve their own problems before asking the teacher for help. As teachers create a positive atmosphere in their classes, pupils enjoy their lessons and are happy to speak about their learning.
• Teachers demonstrate good-quality language skills and demand that pupils speak in full sentences, using standard English. They place a strong emphasis on teaching pupils subject-specific vocabulary so that they have the language skills to be successful learners across the subjects. This makes a strong contribution to developing pupils’ English language skills, especially for those for whom English is an additional language.
• Inclusion leaders and support staff make very good use of assessment to identify sharply the specific needs of pupils who need to catch up. This includes the many late joiners and pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. They use the information effectively to plan additional targeted support so that these pupils can make good progress from their varying starting points.
• Teachers generally make effective use of ongoing assessment information to plan well-structured activities to meet the needs of pupils and help them make good progress. They do not consistently use the information well enough, however, to plan work that challenges pupils, especially the most able, to think deeply and reach the higher standards of which they are capable.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• The inclusion team and all members of staff put pupils’ welfare at the heart of their work. The breakfast team go out into the playground before school with trays of toast so that any hungry pupil or parent can eat, for example. The learning mentors run social groups and anger management workshops to support pupils’ personal development.
• The family support worker works closely with a range of agencies to support pupils and their families whose circumstances make them vulnerable. This has a positive impact in helping pupils, including the many new arrivals, to settle into school life and make a success of their learning. They also support pupils and their parents in taking care of their welfare needs.
• With the many opportunities for pupils to participate in performances, the choir and a debating competition, for example, pupils gain in confidence and grow in self-esteem.
• Pupils have many opportunities to take part in sporting events and they learn about healthy food. These opportunities are effective in supporting pupils’ physical well-being. A member of the inclusion team has recently attended training on mental health. As the ‘mental health champion’ she has delivered training to all members of staff on this topic. As a result, the school has begun to implement a cohesive strategy to better support pupils’ emotional and mental health.
• In this diverse community, pupils respect each other and enjoy talking to each other about their cultures and faiths. Inspectors overheard a conversation between two Christian and two Muslim pupils during breaktime, for instance, discussing their respective religious celebrations. Pupils and their families celebrate their differences with a range of activities during the annual international day. The school’s work in promoting understanding others resulted in the school achieving the British Council international school award.
• Pupils have a basic understanding of current affairs. Although pupils take part in many local events, they do not volunteer and give to the community beyond raising funds for charity. Leaders are exploring ways of ensuring that pupils keep abreast of the news and of identifying opportunities for them to contribute more widely to the local community.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils are welcoming to visitors and eager to talk to them about their experiences of school and their learning.
• Pupils have good attitudes to learning. They cooperate well with their teachers and other adults. They readily work independently, in pairs or groups as directed to by their teachers. They are keen to succeed. These attitudes make a positive contribution to their successful learning. On the odd occasion, there is some low-level disruption in class but teachers deal with this appropriately, allowing learning to go ahead.
• Pupils are proud of their school. They move around the school and eat their lunch in a sensible manner.
• Member of staff responsible for attendance have worked tirelessly to reduce absence. However, although school records show that there is a noticeable improvement in attendance for all groups of pupils currently in the school, it remains below the national average.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• In the 2016 tests, pupils’ outcomes and rates of progress were low, at all key stages. Leaders took decisive action to improve the quality of teaching and support. As a result, there were marked improvements in the 2017 tests.
• In the 2017 Year 2 tests, published data shows that the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing, and mathematics was below average. This, however, masks the fact that a high proportion of pupils joined the school during the key stage, with many not having attended a British early years setting. For those that did, the standards were average and this represented good progress from their starting points at the end of the Reception Year.
• In the 2017 Year 6 cohort, almost one in five pupils did not have any key stage 1 data. Those pupils arrived in the country, many speaking little English, during the four years of the key stage. Furthermore, a much higher than average number of pupils joined and left the school during the key stage. This is because the school serves an area with a sizeable transient population. As a result, although there was an 18% increase in the proportion of pupils who reached the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined, it was still below average. Nevertheless, inspection evidence confirms the school’s view that all groups of pupils made good progress across the subjects, from when they joined the school.
• Current pupils, across the year groups and subjects, including English and mathematics, are making good progress. This is because leaders are sustaining and building on the 2017 improvements in the quality of teaching.
• Pupils who join the school mid-term, those who have SEN and/or disabilities, and those who speak English as an additional language, make good progress. This is due to leaders accurately assessing their needs and using the information to give them carefully targeted support.
• In most year groups, disadvantaged pupils make more progress across the subjects than their classmates. This is because leaders use the additional pupil premium funding effectively to give eligible pupils additional academic support and opportunities to participate in events that make a strong contribution to their personal development.
• Not enough of the current most able pupils, however, are making the rapid progress required to reach the higher standards of which they are capable. This is because teachers do not set work that is sufficiently challenging for them.

Early years provision Good

• Overall, children enter the early years with skills and abilities that are below those that are typical of their age, especially in their language and literacy skills. They make good progress as they move through the early years. The proportion of children who reach a good level of development by the end of the Reception Year is on a rising trend and is getting closer to average. Increasingly, pupils are well prepared for entry into Year 1.
• The early years leaders have a clear and accurate picture of the strengths and weaknesses of the provision. They have credible plans to raise standards further so that even more children reach a good level of development at the end of the Reception Year. They are also aware of the need to make sure that teachers and other adults stretch the most able children more so that larger proportions exceed age-related expectations.
• Both the indoors and outdoors are extremely well resourced and provide children with a great variety of opportunities for exploration and learning. Children are inquisitive and adults encourage them to try things out for themselves.
• Teaching in the early years is good. Teachers regularly check on children’s progress and plan activities that help children follow their interests and develop their skills. All adults demonstrate and encourage the correct use of English, whether it be speaking, reading or writing. Teachers also prepare themed activities that help pupils gain a variety of skills. For example, teachers and children read books about going shopping. Children were then required to write shopping lists. They followed this with a visit to shops where they bought ingredients and on return to school used their ingredients to bake biscuits. Adults have set up an indoor fruit and vegetable `shop’ and children use this to buy and sell goods. Through these activities, children made gains in their English, mathematics, creative, economic and social skills.
• Children enjoy their time in early years. They behave well, take turns, share resources and generally listen attentively. They feel safe and secure in this nurturing environment, as they know that adults care for them and make learning fun.
• Leaders and staff work closely with parents. They arrange a number of workshops to help parents to support their children’s learning. These workshops include sessions on how to read and discuss books with children and how to contribute to developing their children’s mathematical skills. Leaders also invited parents to attend first aid training. As in the main school, parents and children benefit from the support of the school’s inclusion team in ensuring their welfare. Parents told inspectors that the school is like a family for them and their children.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 102024 Enfield 10037690 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 Community 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 639 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Kathleen O’Sullivan Headteacher Interim co-headteachers Telephone number Website Email address Anna Theodosiou (maternity leave) Judith Garrad and Nuala Husband 020 8366 0521 www.bushhillpark.enfield.sch.uk office@bushhillpark.enfield.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 7–8 November 2012

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• Bush Hill Park Primary is much larger than the average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for support through the pupil premium is well above that found nationally.
• The proportion of pupils for whom English is an additional language is well above average.
• An average proportion of pupils have special educational needs support. The proportion of pupils who have a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan is above that found nationally.
• The number of pupils who join and leave the school at different times of the year is much higher than that found nationally.
• The current headteacher took up her post in September 2015. Since the previous inspection, senior leadership responsibilities have been reorganised and there has been a high turnover of staff. From September 2017, new posts of head of year were established.
• The headteacher was not present during the inspection as she has been on maternity leave since April 2017. The school is currently led by two interim co-headteachers, both of whom were the deputy headteachers.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed pupils learning in 30 parts of lessons. Senior leaders joined inspectors during some of these observations.
• Inspectors looked closely at pupils’ work to inform further the judgements made about pupils’ outcomes and the quality of teaching and learning. Inspectors also listened to pupils read.
• Inspectors met with three groups of pupils and spoke informally to other pupils in lessons and during breaks and lunchtimes. Inspectors also met with school leaders and other members of staff.
• Meetings were held with three governors, including the vice-chair, and with two representatives from the local authority.
• Inspectors examined a range of documentation, such as that relating to pupils’ attainment and progress, information about how teachers’ performance is managed, and minutes of governing body meetings. They also looked at records and documentation about pupils’ behaviour, attendance and exclusions, and the ways that staff help to keep pupils safe.
• Inspectors considered the 154 responses to the online questionnaire for parents, which included six text responses. They also had informal conversations with parents in the playground. Inspectors took account of the views of 37 members of staff who responded to the inspection questionnaire.

Inspection team

David Radomsky, lead inspector Barbara Breed Jacqueline Treacy Henry Weir

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector