Starks Field Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve pupils’ outcomes by ensuring consistency in teaching, learning and assessment through:
  • raising teachers’ expectations of what pupils can do
  • making sure that teachers routinely apply the school’s approach to the teaching of reading to enable all pupils make rapid progress in this area.
• Ensure that all areas of the curriculum are taught to the same high standard as English and mathematics so that pupils have greater opportunity to write at length.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• After the inspection which judged the school to require improvement, a monitoring inspection judged that leaders were not taking effective action. While outcomes for pupils are still not where they should be, there is no doubt that the current executive headteacher and head of school have decisively halted the school’s decline.
• Staffing has been stabilised and morale is high. Staff report that they are proud to work at the school and share the high expectations set by school leaders.
• Strategies introduced by middle leaders have improved the quality of teaching, particularly in English and mathematics. For example, training on the delivery of phonics teaching has led to improved outcomes for pupils at key stage 1.
• Although progress and attainment have yet to come in line with national averages, leaders have put in place tracking and monitoring systems which accurately assess the progress of all pupils.
• Inconsistencies in teaching which still exist are being addressed. Current school assessment information suggests that progress and attainment are improving as a result.
• Although leaders have focused on raising achievement in English and mathematics, plans and resources for a broad curriculum are in place. Increasingly, pupils are able to deepen their knowledge and understanding through a breadth of subjects. For example, Year 6 pupils have developed their extended writing skills through a project on the Second World War. Leaders recognise that there is more to do to ensure that this good work is extended throughout the curriculum in subjects such as art and music. This is one reason why pupils’ outcomes are not good.
• Additional funding, including the pupil premium and the PE and sport premium for primary schools, is used effectively. The progress and attainment of disadvantaged pupils are rising and they are encouraged to join as many clubs and activities as possible to raise their aspirations and self-confidence.
• Leaders recognise that funding to support pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities has not been used effectively to improve the progress of these pupils. The appointment of a new special educational needs coordinator has meant that evaluation of interventions is now more accurate.
• Leaders’ rigorous tracking and assessment now quickly identifies any pupil who may be falling behind and interventions prevent any pupil slipping through the net. Increasingly the interventions to support those pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are evaluated to ensure strong progress.
• The school promotes the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils by providing a range of activities and trips. Pupils learn religious tolerance and diversity through the religious education curriculum, visiting speakers and trips to religious places of worship. The local schools police liaison officer works with pupils to ensure that they have a clear understanding of democracy and the rule of law.
• Parents who responded to the Ofsted survey reported that since the arrival of the new senior leaders in September 2015 the school has improved its provision and care for their children.

Governance of the school

• Governors are now very clear in their ambition for the school and expectation for rapid improvement.
• Recent changes to the governing body have ensured that governors now question school leaders knowledgably and hold them to account.
• The governing body has a clear picture of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and supports the chair of governors. As a result, the governing body has worked closely with senior leaders to identify key priorities. Improvements are beginning to have an impact on the progress of pupils.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Recruitment checks are thorough and personnel records are kept in good order.
• Designated staff are suitably trained and policies and procedures are in place to ensure the safety of the pupils.
• Staff have up-to-date training on how to keep children safe and on the ‘Prevent’ duty. They are aware of local risks, including gang behaviour. Pupils are clear on how to keep themselves safe and whom to report to if they have any concerns.
• Where necessary, referrals to external agencies are swift and thorough follow-up procedures are in place.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Teaching, learning and assessment are not good because there are inconsistencies across year groups. In Year 5, inspectors recognised that pupils were making strong progress because teachers had secure subject knowledge and were able to effectively question pupils. This was not evident in all other year groups.
• Teachers do not always have high enough expectations. As a result, there is a lack of challenge for some pupils.
• In some classes, activities do not accurately match the learning needs or starting points of pupils. This slows progress, particularly for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• The introduction of new strategies to teach reading is leading to improved rates of progress for some pupils, particularly in key stage 1. However, teaching of reading is not yet consistently effective. As a result, disadvantaged and lower-ability pupils in key stage 2 are not making rapid progress.
• Where support from additional adults is most effective, pupils benefit from high-quality questioning which encourages them to develop their thinking further. This was particularly apparent in a Year 5 mathematics class.
• Pupils’ positive attitudes to learning lead to a pride in their work. This is evident in the presentation of their books, particularly in English and mathematics.
• Phonics is taught well where the subject knowledge of the adults is secure. Variability in the quality of the teaching of phonics means that progress of pupils in reading and writing at key stage 1 is still not good.
• Where teachers plan challenging activities and assess pupils’ learning accurately, pupils make better progress. However, inconsistencies remain across all subjects and classes. As a result, pupils do not make good progress.

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 well cared for and safe. They value the care shown by all adults in the school and feel confident in knowing how to report any concerns.
• Less confident pupils feel that the ‘speak easy’ box in the corridor and the ‘worry box’ enable them to report concerns in the knowledge that staff will take swift and appropriate action to resolve any issues.
• Attitudes to learning are strong and pupils take pride in their work. Pupils report that they are proud of their school. Pupils spoke with enthusiasm about how they are taught to be resilient, both in their learning and in the social aspects of their lives.
• Leaders are very aware of local risks and work in partnership with external agencies to ensure that pupils know how to keep safe both inside and outside school. Pupils reported that they felt all members of staff ‘go the extra mile’ to make sure that the children are safe and well looked after.
• The wide range of clubs and activities, including dance, drama, sport and music, promote the physical health of the pupils. Through effective use of school funding, pupils are able to access clubs of their choice.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Leaders have ensured that staff and pupils all have high expectations of themselves.
• Working relationships between staff and pupils are strong. As a result, pupils behave well in lessons and there is very little learning time lost to low-level disruption.
• Pupils’ movement around the school is purposeful and orderly. They are punctual to lessons and are quickly ready to learn. Pupils are polite and respectful to each other, to staff and visitors, often saying ‘good morning’.
• In the playground, pupils make the best of their space and are able to collaborate with each other in their use of the equipment. Pupils report that bullying is rare and when it does occur, staff are quick to resolve any issues. School information shows that bullying incidents have dramatically decreased with the introduction and consistent application of the school’s behaviour policy.
• Levels of attendance continue to improve and are now in line with the national average. Persistent absence figures remain higher than the national average. School leaders have prioritised their work in this area and the strategies introduced are reducing the persistent absence figure for all groups of pupils.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Current school leaders have been effective in halting the further decline in standards noted in the monitoring visit of June 2015 and reflected in the 2016 results.
• Current assessment information and the learning observed during the inspection indicate clear improvement. This includes work in pupils’ books. Nevertheless, there remains more to be done to ensure that pupils’ outcomes are good across the school.
• Progress for boys in reading and writing is not good and remains well below the progress of girls in these subjects.
• In English and mathematics, work in books shows clear progress since the start of the academic year. However, the rates of progress for different groups of pupils remain inconsistent, particularly in some key stage 2 classes.
• In 2016, the progress and attainment of disadvantaged pupils were well below those of other pupils nationally from the same starting points. Work in books, assessment information and observations of learning show that the difference is diminishing over time. The effective use of additional funding available for pupils eligible for free school meals has been key to this improvement.
• Support for those pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is improving. Pupils’ books and school information show that as a result of effective evaluation of the interventions, these pupils are now making good progress.
• Progress for the most able is not as rapid as it could be; they do not have opportunities to write at length and develop a deeper understanding of their knowledge and skills across a range of subjects.
• Pupils who read with inspectors showed good use of their phonics skills in their reading. Their work books showed that writing at key stage 1 is improving.

Early years provision Requires improvement

• Progress of children in the early years provision in mathematics, reading and writing requires improvement.
• Many children start school with skills and knowledge below that which is typical for their age and do not make rapid enough progress. As a result, by the end of Reception their attainment is below the national average.
• There are inconsistencies in the quality of teaching. Teachers are not systematic in their use of questioning to develop children’s problem-solving skills, and encouragement of language development is variable. Therefore, the children are not able to make rapid progress.
• The teaching of phonics varies depending upon which adult is leading each session. Therefore, there are inconsistencies in the basic skills that are taught.
• Evidence from across all areas of children’s learning, including examples of children’s writing, mathematics and photographs, shows that the children are making progress. However, their progress is not rapid enough to enable many of the children to meet age-expected standards by the end of Reception, particularly in writing.
• Leaders in the early years have a growing understanding of the strengths and weaknesses and have clearly identified the key areas for improvement. For example, recognising that writing is a weakness, there are now additional afternoon writing sessions, which are improving both the presentation and quality of pupils’ work.
• The improved outdoor learning environment provides an additional resource for the children to learn and play in.
• Through working in partnership with external agencies and effective use of additional funding, school leaders give particular focus to accelerating the speech and language development of disadvantaged children.

School details

Unique reference number 134307 Local authority Enfield Inspection number 10031706 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 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 410 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mick Lees Headteacher Karen Jaeggi Telephone number 020 8887 6060 Website www.starksfield.enfield.sch.uk Email address office@starksfield.enfield.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 23–24 April 2015

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is higher than the national average.
• The majority of pupils are from minority ethnic groups.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is broadly average. The proportion of pupils who have an education, health and care plan is below the national average.
• The school has a Nursery class which provides part-time sessions in the morning and the Reception class provides full-time early years education.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors visited classrooms to observe teaching and learning, including some joint observations with school leaders. They also spent time looking through pupils’ books and listening to a number of children read.
• Meetings were held with members of the governing body, and with a representative from the local authority. Discussions were also held with senior and middle leaders, and newly qualified staff.
• Inspectors spoke with a number of parents before, during and after the school day. They also took into account the 19 responses from parents to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View.
• Inspectors held discussions with groups of pupils as well as other conversations with pupils in school and on the playground. Views from pupil and staff questionnaires were also taken into account.
• Inspectors analysed a range of assessment information presented by the school, and key school documents, including those relating to safeguarding.

Inspection team

Carolyn Dickinson, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Michelle Thomas Ofsted Inspector Meena Walia Ofsted Inspector