Hackney New Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Ensure that questioning is consistently highly effective in deepening pupils’ knowledge and understanding.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• The exceptional leadership of the headteacher has been instrumental in creating the uncompromising culture of excellence within the school. She is very well supported by governors, a highly effective deputy headteacher and staff at all levels who share the ethos and drive for success.
• Governors and leaders have a very clear view of the school’s strengths and areas for development. This is particularly important as the school grows to include additional year groups. Accurate evaluation informs well-thought-through development plans, which build on the considerable success. As a result, there is an all-encompassing culture of aspiration and high expectations.
• Leaders, staff and governors analyse information about pupils’ progress regularly and in great detail. They are quick to identify when pupils require additional support, including from external agencies. Consequently, pupils of all abilities make substantial progress.
• Leaders have ensured that the school is extremely caring and inclusive. All pupils are valued and are able to access all that the school has to offer. Staff work very hard to make sure that all groups of pupils make the progress of which they are capable.
• The management of staff performance is rigorous. Staff receive a wide range of training linked to the school’s priorities. The headteacher and governors regularly check that the quality of teaching and learning is high, and that staff training has a positive impact.
• The curriculum has tremendous breadth, offers challenging learning and captures the interest of all pupils. Musicianship is at the heart of the school and starts in Reception. At the start of Year 1, in whole-class music lessons, all pupils learn to play a stringed instrument. Pupils in all years enjoy the outdoor learning in nearby woodlands and have access to a wide range of additional activities and clubs such as those for Mandarin, Spanish, drama, football, tennis, tag rugby and puppetry.
• Global dimension work and regular school trips, such as to the local synagogue and to watch the London Symphony Orchestra, enrich the curriculum and ensure pupils’ excellent spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils are well prepared to be global citizens, as well as for life in modern Britain.
• Specific funding finances effective provision and support for disadvantaged pupils and for those who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities.
• Additional funding from the government to promote sport and increase physical activity provides expert coaching, develops staff expertise and increases pupils’ participation in sport.
• Communication with parents and the school community is very strong. Parents hold the school in exceptionally high regard. In response to Ofsted’s questionnaire, one parent typically commented that: ‘Hackney New Primary School goes above and beyond all our expectations.’

Governance of the school

• Governance is strong because governors provide leaders with a suitable balance of challenge and support. They know the school very well and visit regularly. They have first-hand knowledge of pupils’ learning and progress. They use this information to ask detailed questions on all matters, including the quality of teaching, pupils’ progress and safeguarding.
• Governors are highly ambitious and have given thoughtful consideration to the expansion of the school. They have successfully secured a new site, and building of the new school is under way, with completion set for March 2019.
• Governors monitor spending carefully and ensure that additional funding is wisely spent to benefit pupils.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective and are kept fully under review to ensure that they are up to date. Comprehensive checks are made to ensure that all those who work in school are suitable.
• The curriculum supports pupils to learn about potential dangers and how to avoid them. Pupils know the importance of reporting any concerns to an adult.
• Staff are clear about what to do should a pupil approach them with a safeguarding concern. They work closely with parents, and ensure that any issues are managed sensitively. There are strong links with external agencies, and follow-up to any referral is swift.
• Pupils and their parents state that pupils are safe and well cared for. Parents receive training to support their children, including on e-safety.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

• Teachers have exceptionally high expectations of all pupils in all subjects. No time is wasted in lessons because teachers are clear about what is being learned and explain this to pupils. Pupils know what they are doing and why they are doing it.
• Teachers have excellent subject knowledge and are successful in motivating all pupils. They provide a range of tasks that encourage pupils to want to succeed. Pupils are keen to live up to the expectations of the adults around them and their positive attitudes to learning contribute much to their outstanding progress.
• Teachers have a very detailed knowledge about each pupil’s progress, and use this knowledge to plan interesting and stimulating lessons. Pupils have access to a wide range of resources to help them rise to the challenges set. As a result, pupils make very strong progress.
• The most able pupils are challenged across the curriculum and make substantial progress. Pupils are eager to learn. For example, one pupil typically said: ‘Work is challenging so we learn more.’
• Pupils have frequent opportunities to read. They talk enthusiastically about favourite authors and types of books. For example, a pupil connected her book ‘East of the Sun, West of the Moon’ to a recent lesson on navigation and explained that, ‘before instruments were used, people found their way by following the sun’.
• The teaching of phonics, spelling and punctuation is well structured. Teachers look closely at the progress pupils make and put extra support in place quickly if pupils fall behind. Consequently, pupils have the skills to support their reading development and make substantial progress.
• Teachers and teaching assistants provide well-planned individual support for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. Work set matches their specific needs, which in turn helps them to make very strong progress. Working relationships between adults and pupils are exemplary.
• Occasionally, opportunities to further deepen pupils’ understanding through effective questioning are missed.
• Parents are well informed about pupils’ progress. They receive regular information through meetings and written reports. Workshops offer parents support with their child’s learning at home, for example, to develop early reading skills.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding. Relationships in the school are excellent. Staff and pupils act with respect for each other at all times.
• Pupils have a clear determination to succeed. The school’s values are central to how pupils approach learning. Pupils in all classes are motivated to achieve, resilient in their approach to challenge and show great pride in themselves and their school.
• Pupils have many opportunities for leadership. For example, playground leaders organise the equipment for children to use at break- and lunchtimes, and lunchtime leaders lay the tables for the daily ‘family dining’.
• Pupils feel safe and are safe. They are reflective and caring, and understand the importance of treating each other with kindness. The school’s curriculum and opportunities beyond the school day promote healthy lifestyles.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Pupils, parents and staff are very positive about behaviour at the school.
• Pupils’ ability to manage their own behaviour in lessons and around school is remarkable. From the start, pupils learn to take responsibility for their own behaviour.
• Pupils from different backgrounds and with different abilities play happily together. Staff have successfully taught pupils that there are no barriers to friendship.
• Pupils enjoy coming to school and say they can talk to any adult, should they have a concern. Excellent relationships between adults and pupils are a strength of the school.
• Levels of attendance are above the national average. Leaders offer effective support to parents and pupils to ensure that all pupils attend well.

Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

• Children enter the school with skills that are broadly typical for their age. They make very strong progress in Reception and are well prepared for Year 1. The school’s assessment information shows that pupils are making substantial progress in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Expectations and standards are high across the school and the curriculum. The most able pupils are stretched and no one is left behind. The quality of work in books, including topic books, is striking, and strong progress is demonstrably clear.
• Pupils enjoy reading, and by the end of Year 1, they have learned how to use phonics well to help them tackle unfamiliar words. In 2017, the proportion of pupils overall who reached the expected standard in the phonics screening check was just below the published national average. Analysis of individual pupils’ outcomes shows that the vast majority, including disadvantaged pupils and those who have SEN and/or disabilities, achieved highly.
• The proportion of pupils in the school who are disadvantaged is small. The school has in place strong systems to ensure that these pupils make substantial progress. Leaders provide support to close any identified gaps in learning.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make strong progress from their starting points in reading, writing and mathematics. This is because the school identifies their learning needs promptly, and provides high levels of well-targeted support.

Early years provision Outstanding

• Outstanding leadership enables children in Reception Year to get off to an excellent start. Children settle extremely well and quickly thrive in the stimulating and caring environment.
• Children’s starting points on entry to Reception vary from year to year, but broadly they are in line with those typical for their age. Tracking of how well children do is central to securing the correct level of challenge for each child. The proportion of children achieving a good level of development has been above the national average for the last two years. This means that children make very strong progress, and are extremely well prepared for Year 1.
• Teaching in early years is very strong. High expectations and very well-established routines lead children to develop excellent attitudes to learning. Children’s learning needs are well met by the provision, which provides high-quality teaching in both the classroom and outdoors. All members of staff are highly effective in their promotion of speaking and listening. Children are encouraged to speak in full sentences, and are able to hold a conversation with adults and other children. During ‘family dining’, a child in Reception was able to explain to the inspector why eating broccoli was important to a healthy diet.
• Effective use of additional funding supports children who are disadvantaged or who have SEN and/or disabilities. Consequently, their needs are understood and they too make excellent progress.
• Children feel safe and secure and their behaviour is excellent. They work and play with each other in harmony. A stimulating curriculum includes lessons in musicianship and weekly visits to local woodlands to learn skills such as den building, knot tying and whittling. These activities contribute to the children’s high levels of independence and self-discipline.
• The teaching of phonics is strong, and children have a love of books and reading. They happily demonstrate early reading skills as they share well-known stories and tales.
• Partnership with parents is quickly established and parents are encouraged to contribute to the children’s electronic learning journals. Parents are highly supportive of the Reception class and its staff; they recognise the excellence of this highly positive start to their child’s education.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 142112 Hackney 10048381 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 Number of pupils on the school roll Academy free school 4 to 11 Mixed 150 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Andreas Wesemann Siobhan Campbell 020 3019 3470 http://hackneynewprimaryschool.org primary@hackneynewschool.org Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• The school is part of the Hackney New School Trust, a multi-academy trust.
• Currently, the school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school, with pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. The school is growing each year and plans to move into new premises in March 2019.
• There are two Reception classes in the early years provision.
• The proportion of pupils who are eligible for pupil premium funding is smaller than average and the proportion who have SEN and/or disabilities is in line with the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is higher than the national average.

Information about this inspection

• Teaching was observed in all classes across the school, mostly jointly with a senior leader.
• Discussions were held with leaders, governors and other members of staff. A telephone conversation was held with a representative from the Hackney Learning Trust.
• Informal discussions were held with several parents, and 81 responses to the Ofsted questionnaire Parent View were reviewed. There were 14 responses to the staff questionnaire and 50 responses to the pupil questionnaire, which were also considered.
• Formal and informal meetings were held with pupils to discuss their learning and their views on the school.
• Pupils in Year 1 and Year 2 were heard reading, and samples of pupils’ work in all years were scrutinised.
• A range of documents was reviewed, including: information on pupils’ progress across the school; the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plans; and school records relating to behaviour and safety.

Inspection team

Carolyn Dickinson, lead inspector

Her Majesty’s Inspector