Northwold Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Develop the assessment system so that it is used to track pupils’ progress consistently and accurately across all subjects and all year groups.
• Ensure that teachers have the same high expectations of pupils’ writing in all subjects.
• Develop indoor activities in the early years provision which fully engage and excite children.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher provides motivating leadership based on a clear vision for the school. She has established a culture where every person is valued and respected. As a result, staff, governors and pupils are hugely proud to be part of the school community.
• Since the previous inspection, the school has converted to academy status. Strong senior leadership has led to a smooth transition. Leaders have managed this change extremely well and worked together to drive improvements in the school.
• Middle leaders are nurtured so that they can develop the skills they need to be effective leaders. They are enthusiastic and committed to their roles. Middle leaders know how their specific areas of responsibility link to overall school improvement and they are fully accountable for the success of their actions.
• Leaders monitor closely the quality of teaching and learning. They work with staff to identify strengths and areas for development, setting targets which contribute to the overall school development plan. Leaders tackle any ineffective teaching quickly and provide staff with personalised training. New teachers and trainees feel well supported by the school. They are mentored by staff who can teach well and know how to share their expertise effectively.
• School leaders have worked hard to develop effective partnerships with parents and carers. There is a high turnout at information sessions and coffee mornings. The great majority of parents who responded to the online survey or who spoke to inspectors were happy with the school.
• The curriculum is broad and balanced. Leaders ensure that there is a balance between academic subjects and those that promote pupils’ artistic, musical and sporting skills. Trips to museums and theatres enhance the curriculum. Pupils speak enthusiastically about the extra-curricular clubs on offer, such as steel drums, ballet, Spanish film club and computing.
• The promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strong. Pupils talk with pride of the diversity within school and how they celebrate different ways of life. They have a secure knowledge of British values such as respect and democracy. Each half term, pupils learn about a different religion through weekly information sessions led by representatives of the specific religion, such as faith leaders or pupils from a faith school. Pupils have the chance to ask questions and deepen their understanding through listening to first-hand experiences. Pupils participate in various fundraising activities for charities of their choice and they enjoy exploring moral issues.
• The provision for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is well led and organised. Leaders ensure that they evaluate sharply additional funding and use it effectively so that pupils can make good progress from their starting points.
• Leaders use the pupil premium funding to ensure that disadvantaged pupils do as well as their peers. With the funding, leaders have appointed additional teachers in Year 5 and Year 6 so that pupils are taught in smaller groups. Other uses include booster classes, improved resources to support social, emotional and behavioural development and subsidised enrichment activities and trips. Leaders measure the impact of the funding through the high attainment of disadvantaged pupils at the end of each key stage. While funding is used effectively, leaders do not review and evaluate the use of funding carefully to ensure that it makes a difference to the pupils it is meant to support.
• The sport premium funding is used in a variety of ways to improve the provision of physical education in the school. A specialist sports coach delivers high-quality PE lessons, often taught in Spanish with the help of another specialist teacher. Older pupils complete bicycle training and the school organises whole-school events such as ‘Bike around the Borough’ and sports days. Leaders acknowledge that better planning would ensure that the funding is used to even greater effect.

Governance of the school

• The governing body are an asset to the school. Governors are fully involved in the life of the school and they take their roles seriously. They give up a lot of time to support the school and are committed to improving standards further.
• Governors analyse and review school performance information and progress against development plans. They challenge school leaders robustly and ensure that the school follows procedures, such as dealing with complaints.
• The governing body have clearly defined roles and bring a range of knowledge and experience to the leadership team. They attend training courses to develop their skills as governors and have undergone safeguarding training. Governors recognise that they could improve their knowledge of how different additional funding is used and analyse it more sharply.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders ensure that appropriate checks are made on the suitability of staff before they start working at the school. All staff have received training and are up to date with the most recent policy and guidance on keeping children safe. Staff know how to spot signs that a child may be at risk of harm and follow school procedures if they have any concerns.
• Leaders act swiftly and follow up referrals until they are satisfied that all has been done to secure pupils’ welfare. They work closely with a range of external agencies to ensure that pupils and families get the support they need. Leaders have an in-depth knowledge of the local community and its specific risks, which they pass on to pupils in an age-appropriate manner.
• All parents who responded to the online questionnaire or who spoke to inspectors felt confident that their children are safe at school.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The quality of teaching and learning over time is consistently good.
• Teachers give pupils work that is well matched to their needs. Levels of challenge are high in lessons so that pupils, including the most able, are stretched to ensure that they make good progress.
• Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and effort in class. Pupils respond well to this and they want to do well. Pupils work well together and support each other in their learning.
• Teachers use skilful questioning and clear explanations to challenge pupils to explain their thinking. They encourage pupils to use their previous learning and apply it to new concepts. As a result, teachers build and extend pupils’ learning, skills and understanding.
• Activities are planned well to engage and interest pupils. They are motivated learners and eager to share their thoughts. For example, in a Year 1 writing lesson, pupils were full of ideas about how to persuade characters they were reading about to visit their school. They used this activity to use persuasive language effectively in a piece of written work.
• The support staff are a strength of the school. Working closely with teachers, they ensure that pupils who have special educational needs/and or disabilities receive additional support which is targeted to their individual needs. They motivate pupils to take part in lessons and help them to learn independently, leading to good progress.
• Teachers have adapted their reading lessons to ensure that pupils can fully develop their comprehension skills. They focus on specific aspects, such as inference and deduction, and pupils can talk about texts in detail and apply their skills. In a Year 4 lesson, for example, pupils referred consistently to the text they were reading to support their thinking and could answer questions about inference confidently.
• A new handwriting scheme encourages pupils to practise forming their letters and words precisely and neatly. Regular monitoring shows that pupils’ handwriting and levels of vocabulary have improved as a result.
• The school’s new assessment system is still developing. Leaders monitor closely the attainment of pupils through regular progress meetings with staff to identify how well pupils are achieving so that the right support is given. Teachers use this information to address gaps in pupils’ learning. However, leaders recognise that they do not track pupils’ progress consistently well across the school and in all subjects.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Pupils have an excellent awareness of personal safety. They know how to keep themselves safe through lessons and workshops which are appropriate to their age. For example, younger pupils learn about stranger danger while older pupils learn about gang-related crime and drugs awareness.
• Pupils know how to stay safe online and how to deal with cyber bullying. The school also promotes e-safety with parents and offers advice on dealing with sexting and risks from social media.
• The well-being of pupils is of paramount importance. The school provides services such as child counselling and art therapy to help pupils affected by trauma or difficult experiences. Programmes to develop pupils’ personal and social skills are matched to pupils’ ages and needs, such as an emotional literacy programme for Years 1 and 2 or the ‘Think good, feel good’ programme for older pupils. Pupils feel well cared for at school.
• The school offers a wealth of opportunities for pupils to take on responsibility, for example as prefects, house captains, sports captains and school council members. Pupils take their roles very seriously and say that teachers listen to their suggestions.
• Pupils take care of each other. Older pupils help the younger ones in the playground, making sure that no-one is left to play on their own. Pupils are not concerned about bullying and they say it doesn’t happen. They help each other to resolve any friendship issues and are confident that staff will step in and take care of any problems.
• Pupils demonstrate resilience in their learning and don’t give up when work is challenging. This is particularly evident in mathematics when pupils work through challenging word problems diligently.
• The transition process to secondary school begins in Year 5, when staff give pupils information about different schools and teach them what to expect. In Year 6, pupils spend time in lessons completing Year 7 work so that they are very well prepared for the next stage of their education.
• The school’s drive to promote healthy lifestyles is successful. Although not all of them particularly like the strictly vegetarian food on offer in the canteen, pupils know that certain types of food are good for them and understand what it means to be healthy.
• Pupils are aspirational for their futures. They learn about different careers and the benefits of working hard. Older pupils in particular show great maturity in discussing the range of pathways open to them.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• Pupils behave in an exemplary manner in lessons and around the school. This reflects the school’s effective strategies to promote high standards of behaviour. Pupils are polite and self-disciplined; incidents of poor behaviour are rare and well managed.
• The atmosphere in and around school is calm and purposeful. At playtimes, pupils play with each other harmoniously and help staff to put away play equipment. Pupils practise meditation daily, which they say helps them feel settled after playtimes.
• Pupils are highly focused and self-disciplined in lessons at all times. Year 6 pupils, for example, were observed completing a problem-solving task, following instructions through headphones. They moved around the room and even under tables in a mature and sensible manner.
• Attendance is well above the national average. Leaders have put in place successful strategies to promote long-term good attendance. For example, pupils compete to have a limousine ride to a restaurant if they have full attendance for a year. Pupils say that they enjoy coming to school and are extremely positive about the school.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils in most year groups make good, and at times rapid, progress over time in a range of subjects. Current pupil performance information shows that the majority of pupils are working at or beyond age-related expectations.
• By the end of Year 6, pupils make progress in reading and mathematics that is well above the national average. Key stage 2 pupil progress in writing is in line with the national average. Pupils are prepared, therefore, for the next stage of their education.
• Disadvantaged pupils make consistently more progress than that seen nationally by other pupils in reading and mathematics. By the end of key stage 1, the proportion of disadvantaged pupils achieving the expected standard was above the national average in all subjects.
• Outcomes for the most able pupils, including the most able disadvantaged, are good. The proportion of middle-ability and higher-ability pupils reaching high standards in reading and mathematics is above average at the end of key stage 2 and in line with average at key stage 1. Pupils make good progress from their different starting points.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make strong progress as a result of effective support. Current pupils are making progress that is close to that of other pupils in most year groups.
• Teaching of phonics is good and leads to good outcomes in the Year 1 phonics screening check. Results have steadily improved and are now in line with the national average. Pupils can demonstrate how their phonics skills help them work out difficult words. Key stage 1 pupils in particular benefit from daily reading with an adult at school.
• Progress and attainment in writing is a key priority for school leaders. Writing has a higher profile across the school this year. Pupils have more opportunities to write in other subjects besides English, such as the extended pieces of writing they complete in religious education. However, not all teachers have the same expectations of writing across the curriculum as they do in literacy lessons.
• Pupils’ work in books generally matches the teacher assessments and is of a good standard overall. Year 5 and Year 6 work is of a high standard in particular. However, there is some inconsistency in the quality of work and presentation lower down in the school.

Early years provision Good

• From their starting points, the proportion of children reaching a good level of development in 2016 was above the national average. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds achieved as well as others nationally.
• Current pupils, including disadvantaged children and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, are on track to make good progress from their starting points.
• Safeguarding is effective. Staff are well trained and knowledgeable about safeguarding and first aid. Children are taught to stay safe both in and out of school.
• The temporary early years leader is well supported by senior leaders. Together they have ensured that the quality of teaching is consistently good. Teachers support the basic literacy and numeracy skills through questioning children as they begin to write letters, read words and count.
• Staff analyse assessments of children’s progress carefully to identify next steps. They identified correctly that writing was an area for development and put in place effective measures. As a result, the quality of writing in both Nursery and Reception has improved considerably.
• Children behave well in early years. They take turns when using equipment and share resources with each other. They respond well to their teacher’s instructions and are keen to please. Warm relationships between children and staff help children feel reassured and they are confident to try new tasks.
• Leaders make sure that parents are fully involved in their child’s development and learning. Parents contribute to initial assessments and make valuable contributions to learning journey books. They also have opportunities to attend coffee mornings and workshops at the school.
• Children enjoy a range of activities which develop the different areas of learning in early years. Lessons in physical education and computing are particularly effective and staff ensure that children have fun learning new skills.
• The outdoors provision is well resourced and has a range of stimulating activities which help children develop their physical, creative and social development skills. However, the indoors provision is not of the same standard. Activities are not well planned to engage children’s interests and children can lack stimulation as a result.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 141576 Hackney 10031860 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Academy converter 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 454 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Ciaran Seymour Alison Kriel 0208 806 6352 www.northwold.hackney.sch.uk akriel@northwold.amayatrust.com Date of previous inspection 23–24 January 2012

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish.
• The school converted to an academy on 1 April 2014. It is the sole school in the Amaya Trust.
• The school is a larger than average-sized primary school.
• The early years provision comprises two Nursery classes and two Reception classes.
• The proportion of pupils who are eligible for free school meals is above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs/and or disabilities is above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is above the national average, as is the proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language.
• The school currently meets the government floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ progress and attainment.

Information about this inspection

• The inspection team visited a range of lessons across all year groups and different subjects. Some of these were joint observations undertaken with school leaders.
• Meetings were held with senior and middle leaders to evaluate the impact of their work. Meetings were also held with governors, a newly qualified teacher and teachers undertaking training, and different groups of pupils.
• Inspectors analysed documentation provided by the school, including the school’s self-evaluation, development plans, monitoring information, attendance and behaviour records, assessment information for pupils currently at the school, the single central record of recruitment checks and other information relating to the safeguarding of pupils.
• The inspection team scrutinised pupils’ books from a variety of subjects and year groups to review pupils’ learning over time.
• Inspectors took into account the views of 28 parents who had responded to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire. Inspectors also held informal discussions with parents during the inspection. They considered 50 responses to the staff survey.

Inspection team

Jude Wilson, lead inspector David Bryant Jeff Cole Gill Bal Andrew Turnock

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector