Honilands Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching and learning by:
  • matching learning to the needs of all pupils so that they can make strong progress and stay on task in lessons
  • planning activities which challenge all pupils, particularly the most able
  • raising teachers’ expectations of what pupils are expected to know, understand and do
  • strengthening staff’s subject knowledge so that teachers and other adults can address pupils’ misconceptions effectively.
• Improve leadership and management, and pupils’ outcomes, by:
  • undertaking a thorough review of the curriculum and ensuring that sufficient time is given to subjects other than English and mathematics
  • sharpening leaders’ skills in monitoring the effectiveness of their actions
  • ensuring that governors hold leaders firmly to account for all aspects of the school’s performance, including the use of pupil premium funding
  • using assessment information precisely to evaluate the quality of teaching and learning.
• Improve pupils’ personal development, behaviour and welfare by:
  • improving rates of attendance and reducing the number of pupils who are persistently absent
  • reducing incidents of off-task behaviour in lessons.
• Improve the progress of children in the early years by:
  • providing more opportunities for children in the outside spaces to reinforce key skills, particularly in writing and mathematics
  • ensuring that adults intervene appropriately to provide children, including the most able, with the challenge needed to strengthen learning. An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium funding is recommended in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management can be improved. An external review of governance is recommended in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management can be improved.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• Leaders have not ensured that the quality of teaching is consistently good. As a result, pupils do not achieve as well as they should; progress is uneven from year to year, and standards remain low at the end of all key stages.
• Leaders’ self-evaluation of the school is overgenerous. Leaders and governors regularly review the school development plans. However, leaders do not make good use of assessment information and the impact of actions to set improvement priorities. As a result, school improvement is hindered, and pupils’ outcomes have not improved strongly enough.
• The curriculum covers a broad range of subjects, but time allocated for individual subjects is inconsistent. In Year 6, limited time is given to subjects such as science, modern foreign languages and art. For most year groups in key stage 2, music education is restricted to weekly singing assemblies. This means that pupils’ deeper knowledge and understanding in these subjects is limited. The work produced in subjects other than English and mathematics is often not of a high standard.
• For 90 minutes each week, key stage 2 pupils participate in ‘Honilands College’. This is a curriculum programme where pupils are taught in small mixed-age groups. Projects offered include arts, modern foreign languages, craft and sports. Leaders of these activities include teachers, but also teaching assistants, play leaders and external providers. There is no doubt that this programme offers some experiences that pupils might not otherwise access, such as archery. However, this programme does not offer educational value and is a poor use of precious curriculum time. Learning is not well matched to pupils’ ages or abilities, and activities are sometimes of low quality. ‘College’ activity leaders are not monitored or held to account by the school’s management.
• Leaders and governors have been slow in developing a strategic approach to improving outcomes for all pupils, including those who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities. As a result, these groups do not make the strong progress they need to in English and mathematics.
• Disadvantaged pupils do not make consistent progress or attain highly enough in some year groups. Pupil premium funding has not secured improvements for these pupils. Elements of the pupil premium monies are not used effectively, for example to partially fund the ‘Honilands College’ activities.
• The school’s work to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is effective. The school’s values are taught through circle time activities and assemblies. Pupils learn about different world religions and visit places of worship. This helps them to respect individuals from different religious and cultural backgrounds. However, the curriculum is not providing enough opportunity for pupils to explore their thoughts and feelings about life in modern Britain.
• Leaders’ use of the sport premium is effective. The majority of this money is used to employ specialist coaches to work alongside teachers. This has helped improve teachers’ skills in delivering physical education lessons and to increase pupils’ fitness. Pupils’ participation has increased in a range of sports activities. Although there are pupils identified as being able to swim 25 metres, they are not proficient by the end of key stage 2.
• Leaders have worked hard to ensure that pupils are well looked after in the school and that safeguarding is effective. The majority of parents and carers who spoke with the inspection team or completed Ofsted’s online questionnaire were positive about this aspect of the school.

Governance of the school

• Governors speak of their high ambitions for the school. However, they have not been effective enough in holding leaders and teachers to account for pupils’ achievement. Leaders do not provide governors with all the information they need to evaluate the school’s effectiveness accurately.
• Governors keep up to date with safeguarding training, including safer recruitment. They have a thorough understanding of risks faced by pupils in the local community and how to protect them. They ensure that staff are well informed about the safeguarding and child protection policies.
• Newly appointed governors have started to strengthen governance. However, governors recognise that strong, sustained improvement and greater consistency are required.
• Governors have not monitored the impact of pupil premium funding in a systematic way. They are aware of this and have plans to monitor the spending more robustly.

Safeguarding

• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• The culture around keeping pupils safe is strong throughout the school. Leaders and governors ensure that policies and procedures are up to date and reviewed regularly.
• Leaders and staff have completed a range of safeguarding training, including how to keep pupils safe from radicalisation and gang crime. This ensures that staff have a good understanding of their responsibilities and are vigilant to the risks faced by the pupils.
• Leaders make sure that the necessary checks on the suitability of staff, volunteers and visitors to school are detailed and thorough.
• Pupils feel safe in the school. They are taught about how to manage their personal safety and how to stay safe online. Pupils know whom they can go to, should they have a concern.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• The quality of teaching is too variable across the school. As a result, pupils’ progress is not consistently good in a range of subjects.
• Where teachers’ subject knowledge is not strong, and assessment information is not used effectively, work for pupils is not set at the correct level of difficulty. Activities do not sufficiently build on pupils’ prior learning. Pupils say that some tasks are too easy and, therefore, do not challenge them. This is especially the case for the most able. As a result, pupils do not develop appropriate skills and knowledge to deepen their learning. This limits their progress.
• In the classes where teaching is stronger, pupils enjoy greater challenge. Teachers who have secure subject knowledge use questioning effectively and tackle misconceptions. When provided with the opportunity, pupils are keen to learn.
• In key stage 1, strong phonics teaching is beginning to have a positive impact on outcomes. New initiatives to develop reading and writing are starting to have an impact, particularly in Year 1. Pupils are better able to write at length, with correct punctuation and spelling of common words. A focus on applying learned skills and the consistent use of phonics provides challenge for the most able and support for lower- attaining pupils.
• The teaching of writing higher up the school is variable. There are too few opportunities for key stage 2 pupils to write for a sustained period of time. As a result, pupils have limited opportunities to practise applying writing skills across the curriculum.
• In mathematics, teachers’ subject knowledge is not always secure. They do not consistently address pupils’ errors or misconceptions. Work in mathematics books shows a lack of precision and challenge. Pupils are not provided with enough opportunities to develop their reasoning skills and apply their knowledge of number.
• Reading has a high priority across the school. Tasks in some lessons meet the needs of pupils and develop comprehension skills well. However, in other classes, pupils do not have sufficient opportunities to develop their reading skills. For example, a daily guided reading intervention session was used instead to practise spelling and handwriting tasks.
• In some classes, additional adults are used well to support pupils’ learning. They use their knowledge of the pupils to support and intervene in a timely manner. However, in other classes, teaching assistants do not have appropriate subject knowledge, and are not guided well enough by the teacher. Some teaching assistants do not address pupils’ misconceptions effectively, which does not support pupils to make the best progress possible.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement.
• Pupils’ attitudes to learning are not positive in all classes, as a result of the variable quality of teaching they receive. Presentation in books can be messy and pupils can become easily disengaged from their learning.
• Leaders have created a distinctive pastoral support system. Siblings are placed in ‘families’, and their personal well-being and behaviour is overseen by a ‘family leader’. As a result, pupils say that they have someone they trust and can talk to. The school teaches a small group of vulnerable pupils in a nurture class. This has a positive impact on these pupils’ emotional well-being and social skills, removing their barriers to learning.
• Leaders and staff work hard to embed the school values. Many pupils were able to speak about values such as tolerance and respect. For example, one pupil stated that ‘in our school families, we show respect for each other’. However, pupils do not have the knowledge, relative to their age, of fundamental British values, such as democracy and the rule of law.
• Pupils learn about different forms of bullying, including cyber bullying, through assemblies, external visitors and workshops to learn about online safety. As a result, pupils have a thorough understanding of how to stay safe.
• Pupils who spoke to inspectors said they liked school and felt safe. They learn how to stay safe through assemblies and ‘circle times’. They are confident that staff will act promptly to deal with any concerns they may have.
• The majority of pupils, parents and carers say that pupils are happy, well looked after and cared for at school.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. When teaching does not closely match pupils’ needs, some lose concentration. In these instances, they switch off from learning and can be disruptive. This has an effect on the whole class and disturbs rates of progress for others.
• In between activities, when adults are not vigilant, some pupils have difficulty self-regulating and managing their own behaviour. This results in some inappropriate low-level disruptive behaviour.
• Pupils play well together at breaktimes and lunchtimes, which are well supervised by the ‘play leaders’. Most pupils demonstrate good table manners and behaviour in the dining room.
• Leaders work hard to promote good attendance. Staff monitor pupils who are absent and follow up concerns with parents quickly. Leaders work closely with the education welfare officer to ensure that attendance concerns are addressed. Attendance rates are improving and are now close to the national averages. The proportion of pupils who are persistently missing school is also reducing. However, this is still too high.
• Exclusion rates for the most vulnerable pupil groups, such as those who have SEN and/or disabilities, are well above national averages. Leaders were unable to explain fully the reasons for this.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Current pupils do not make sustained and strong progress in a range of subjects, including English and mathematics.
• While current pupils make average progress from low starting points, this is still not strong enough to help them reach average standards by the end of key stage 2 in English and mathematics.
• The proportion of pupils working at the higher standard in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6 is below the national average. Teachers do not plan learning that sufficiently challenges middle- and high-ability pupils.
• Standards reached at the end of key stage 1 are below age-related expectations and have been for the past three years. Consequently, most pupils are not well prepared for their move into key stage 2.
• While current pupils gain basic knowledge in some subjects, this is not enough to provide them with extensive understanding across the curriculum and strong progress over time.
• Since 2016, outcomes in the phonics screening check have been below the national averages, and this trend has continued in 2018. However, due to new approaches to teaching phonics, outcomes are starting to improve.

Early years provision Requires improvement

• Children’s starting points when entering Nursery are below those typical for their age; the proportion of children achieving a good level of development by the end of Reception remains below the national average. Teachers’ expectations are not high enough to ensure that children make the strong progress they need to reach average standards. This is particularly the case for the most able children.
• Leadership of the early years is determined and well informed. Leaders are aware of what is working well and what still needs to improve. However, plans for improvement are not sufficiently focused to enable sustainable improvements in provision and children’s outcomes.
• Teaching is not always matched to children’s learning needs. Variability in knowledge of how young children learn means that sometimes teaching assistants interrupt children’s learning unnecessarily. As a result, behaviour issues occur and this also slows learning.
• Staff in the early years, including leaders, have a secure knowledge of pupils’ welfare needs and offer strong pastoral support. Relationships between children and adults are positive. A good focus on language development ensures that children are able to articulate their needs well. The skilful use of questioning by some adults enhances the development of children’s vocabulary.
• A good range of quality opportunities is provided across all areas of learning inside the classrooms. However, this is not always reflected in the outside areas, where there are limited activities to explore and extend learning. This is especially the case for writing and mathematics.
• Phonics teaching in the early years is strong and enables some children to apply their phonics skills in writing. This is beginning to have a positive impact on the outcomes in the phonics screening check and writing in Year 1.
• Adults in the provision for two-year-olds know how to meet the needs of young children. Staff are appropriately trained and the ratio of adults to children meets statutory requirements. Strong relationships between children and adults support learning. Children are confident and actively encouraged to develop their language skills. The environment is stimulating and safe. Age-appropriate resources and well-planned activities provide children with opportunities to develop in this provision.
• Safeguarding in the early years is effective, and statutory welfare requirements are met.

School details

Unique reference number 101998 Local authority Enfield Inspection number 10048061 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Maintained Age range of pupils 2 to 11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 665 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mr Nicholas Turner Headteacher Mrs Nuala McNeely Telephone number 01992 701012 Website www.honilands.co.uk Email address headteacher@honilands.enfield.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 13–14 May 2015

Information about this school

• Honilands Primary is a larger than average, three-form entry primary school with Nursery provision and provision for two-year-olds.
• Most pupils are from any other White or White British backgrounds.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils eligible for pupil premium funding is higher than the national average. The community served by the school has above average levels of deprivation.
• The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well above average.
• In 2017, the school met the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stage 2.

Information about this inspection

• The inspection team visited all classrooms across the school to observe learning. Some of the visits were made jointly with the headteacher and other senior members of staff.
• Meetings were held with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher (who is the designated lead officer for safeguarding), the assistant headteachers (one of whom is the inclusion leader), family leaders, learning mentors, and the school’s business manager. The team took into account 42 responses to Ofsted’s confidential online staff survey.
• The lead inspector met with newly qualified and student teachers.
• Inspectors looked through a wide range of pupils’ work across different subjects and heard pupils read from key stages 1 and 2.
• Inspectors spoke to groups of pupils to seek their views of the school. The views of other pupils were gathered during lessons, breaktimes and lunchtimes.
• Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at playtimes and lunchtimes, and in assemblies. Inspectors also observed pupils in lessons and moving in and around the school.
• In the playground, a number of parents spoke informally with the inspectors. The team considered 20 responses to Ofsted’s confidential online survey, Parent view.
• The lead inspector met with members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.
• The inspection team looked at the school’s evaluation of its own performance, its improvement plans, records relating to behaviour, records relating to the work of the local authority and the minutes of the governing body. They considered a range of documentation in relation to child protection, safeguarding, exclusion and attendance.

Inspection team

Andrew Hook, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Meena Walia Ofsted Inspector Sheila Cohring Ofsted Inspector Robert Greatrex Ofsted Inspector Mark Phillips Her Majesty’s Inspector