Camrose Primary With Nursery Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching and learning in the early years, and so raise children’s achievement, by ensuring that:
  • teachers present children with opportunities to write independently in the Reception Year
  • teachers plan activities that support children’s progression in mathematics, particularly for the most-able.
• Improve the quality of leadership and management by ensuring that middle leaders raise standards in subjects across the curriculum, while also extending pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher works closely with the deputy headteacher to provide ambitious leadership with a strong vision, positive team morale and an uncompromising drive to improve pupils’ outcomes. This partnership has been pivotal in raising standards and expectations across the school.
• Senior leaders have developed effective monitoring and evaluation procedures to gain a realistic understanding of the school’s strengths and development areas for future improvement.
• The school has appointed experienced teachers and developed a staff team who share the highest aspirations for all pupils. Senior leaders have reviewed the curriculum and strengthened teachers’ subject knowledge through effective professional development. A strong focus on raising the quality of teaching and learning has resulted in good teaching in all classrooms.
• Leaders and staff have created an attractive school environment. Pupils are motivated and stimulated by classroom and corridor displays that celebrate their achievements. Reading areas are inviting and classrooms have a wide range of high-quality reading books to challenge and interest all abilities. Senior leaders have purchased an extensive range of exciting books for the school library and pupils enjoy their library visits; their reading choices are extended through the skills of the school librarian.
• School leaders are outward looking. For example, they have worked closely with the local authority to moderate standards of attainment with local schools. This has helped to develop leaders’ experience and understanding of the expected standards required across year groups.
• Leaders, including middle leaders, have been successful in bringing about improvements in reading, writing, mathematics and science across all year groups. Leadership is not yet as strong in the wider curriculum of history, geography, art, design technology, music and religious education.
• Additional funding for disadvantaged pupils is spent well to ensure that pupils make progress that is at least as good as that of their peers.
• Funding for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is well used to ensure that they receive additional support. Support staff are deployed effectively and have strong impact on pupils’ outcomes.
• Leaders have developed systems to ensure that most-able pupils are being presented with sufficient challenge to attain higher outcomes in their learning.
• Parents and carers reported that they are happy with their children’s learning. They said that school leaders make parents feel valued and listened to. Communication between school and home is strong, with regular reports on pupils’ progress.

Governance of the school

• Governors have appointed a new leadership team since the previous inspection. This has given the school stability after many years of leadership changes.
• Governors are knowledgeable and skilful. They offer strong support and challenge to school leaders. They ask the right questions to ensure that all pupils make good progress.
• School improvement plans are agreed by governors. They visit the school regularly, know the school well and oversee school leaders’ action plans to ensure that they have the desired impact.
• Governors ensure that the performance management of staff is rigorous and linked to raising pupils’ outcomes. Governors fulfil all their statutory responsibilities, including in safeguarding.
• Governors offer effective support and guidance in the oversight of school finance. They ensure that the correct resources are in place to support learning and that funding is spent efficiently. This includes the effective use of sport funding to develop sporting opportunities within the physical education curriculum, and also provision of a wide range of sporting activities after school.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Senior leaders have developed a strong culture of safeguarding. School staff are highly visible at the start and the end of the day. The site is secure and parents report that their children feel safe and well cared for.
• All staff and governors are trained in keeping children safe. Staff are knowledgeable and receive regular training updates to keep them vigilant of potential risks for pupils.
• Senior leaders are rigorous in the monitoring of vulnerable children. Records are detailed and well maintained. The procedures for reporting initial concerns and referrals are clearly understood by all staff.
• Senior leaders have received safer recruitment training and all employment checks are in place. The school works closely with the local authority safeguarding board.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers have high expectations, classroom routines are clearly understood and little learning time is lost. Teachers use assessment information skilfully to inform future learning and pupils’ progress is tracked carefully to ensure that all pupils make good progress.
• Teachers are confident in their use of questioning to challenge pupils’ thinking and to deepen their learning.
• Pupils are taught to be resilient and to persevere with tasks that at first may appear to be challenging. Pupils report that teachers offer strong guidance and support to encourage them to think through the next steps in their learning.
• Teachers ensure the progressive development of reading and writing skills, leading to strong outcomes in all year groups. Teachers insist that presentation of writing is of a high quality and so pupils take pride in their work. The teaching of phonics is good and pupils apply their knowledge of sounds confidently in their writing. In reading, inference and deduction are taught effectively to support pupils’ understanding of the text.
• The teaching of mathematics is good and pupils are confident in their use of calculation. Pupils use their reasoning skills to explain their mathematical thinking and gain a deeper understanding of number problems.
• Most-able pupils receive effective challenge to deepen their learning. Outcomes are strong, with most-able pupils showing stamina in presenting longer pieces of writing, for example.
• Additional funding is used effectively to offer a wide range of learning support for disadvantaged pupils. The impact of this support is reflected in disadvantaged pupils’ progress, which is at least as good as that of their peers.
• Pupils with an education, health and care plan and/or a statement of SEN make good progress because work is carefully matched to their individual learning needs.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Pupils are confident and display excellent attitudes to their learning. Pupils are proud of their school and show sensitivity to the needs and rights of others. They are highly motivated, polite and courteous and give each other respect. Pupils are keen to share their ideas and are willing to listen to the views of others.
• Teachers encourage pupils to reflect on social and moral themes in assemblies. This includes a celebration of faith, language and culture to represent the rich diversity of the community.
• The curriculum offers strong learning opportunities that support pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and prepares them well for life in modern Britain. For example, pupils showed an excellent understanding of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and also of British values. Pupils show tolerance and respect for each other and know that everyone in school has a right to feel safe.
• Pupils are taught how to stay safe in the community; staff have worked closely with local police to highlight dangers such as gangs and knife crime. Pupils display an excellent understanding of how to stay safe online and the dangers of the inappropriate use of social media.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• Pupils are fully engaged in their learning and behaviour is impeccable. Movement around the school is calm and purposeful and pupils report that they feel safe and well cared for. Parents are very supportive of the school and there is a deep culture of trust between home and school.
• Adults listen to children and respond swiftly to any concerns in the playground. The playground is zoned to prevent potential conflicts and play equipment is plentiful. Incidents of poor behaviour, bullying or name-calling are extremely rare and dealt with quickly.
• Attendance has improved over time and is now in line with national figures. The senior learning mentor has developed effective strategies to ensure that pupils who have previously been persistently absent, now attend more regularly.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils’ outcomes in 2014, 2015 and 2016 caused the school to be judged as coasting, but by 2017 significant improvements in teaching had raised pupils’ progress and attainment.
• In 2017, the proportion of children who achieved a good level of development at the end of the Reception Year was above the national average. The proportion of pupils who achieved the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check was also above average.
• In 2017 at the end of Year 2, a higher proportion of pupils than found nationally met the expected standard in mathematics and attainment in reading and writing was average.
• At the end of Year 6 in 2017, pupils’ progress in mathematics was well above average and in the top 10% of schools nationally. Their progress and attainment in writing were average. Progress in reading was average and, reflecting low starting points, attainment remained below average.
• The progress of disadvantaged pupils in reading, writing and mathematics was average in 2017. Current disadvantaged pupils continue to make good progress.
• The school’s assessment information and other inspection evidence show that current pupils are making strong progress in reading, writing and mathematics. An increasing proportion of pupils are working at the higher or greater depth standards.
• Senior leaders delivered training for teachers to raise their awareness of greater depth in learning for the most able pupils. The books of current most-able pupils show strong evidence of improved outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make good progress from their starting points.
• Pupils’ work in subjects across the curriculum is not of the same high standard as in English, mathematics and science. In part, this is because pupils do not transfer their writing and numeracy skills to other subjects.

Early years provision Good

• The leadership of the early years is effective. A clear vision of high expectations and good teaching has resulted in rapid improvements over time.
• Children make good progress from their starting points. The proportion of children achieving a good level of development at the end of the Reception Year has risen significantly and is now well above average. This prepares children well for Year 1.
• Children who have SEN and/or disabilities are supported well and are making good progress from their starting points.
• The teaching of phonics is good. High-quality reading books are shared regularly with children and they use their knowledge of sounds to help them with their reading.
• Teachers ensure that opportunities are plentiful for children to practise their writing skills across the curriculum. Children in the Reception Year are sometimes given more support for writing than they need and are insufficiently encouraged to write independently.
• Skilled adults use questioning well to promote independent and collaborative learning.
• Outdoor provision is imaginative and creative to support the development of children’s speaking and listening skills. Classrooms are bright and attractive and the children behave well in a safe and secure environment. Safeguarding is effective.
• Teaching for progression in understanding and skills is not as secure in mathematics as in writing. In particular, this means that most-able children are not making the rapid progress of which they are capable.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 102188 Harrow 10044531 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 415 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Judith Fortune Sharon Crick 020 8952 3272 www.camrose.harrow.sch.uk office@camrose.harrow.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 14 March 2013

Information about this school

• Camrose Primary with Nursery is larger than the average-sized school.
• There have been significant changes to the leadership team since the previous inspection.
• The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is higher than the national average.
• A higher proportion of pupils than average have SEN and/or disabilities.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is lower than the national average.
• A special school shares the site but was not part of this inspection.
• The school runs a breakfast club and a wide range of after-school activities.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors visited all classes, accompanied by senior leaders, to observe pupils’ learning.
• Pupils’ books were looked at in every classroom to review their progress.
• Discussions were held with senior and middle leaders to assess the impact they are having on school improvement.
• A wide range of documentation was scrutinised, including the school’s self-evaluation, governing body minutes, monitoring records and the school development plan.
• An inspector met with the deputy headteacher and the learning mentor to view the single central record of staff suitability checks, staff training records on keeping children safe, attendance information and behaviour logs.
• Meetings were held with governors and a representative from the local authority.
• Inspectors listened to pupils read and observed their behaviour during break and lunchtimes. An inspector met with groups of pupils to hear their views about the school.
• Inspectors spoke to parents in the playground and took into account the 27 responses from Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View.
• Inspectors also took into consideration the responses from 39 staff questionnaires.

Inspection team

Tom Canning, lead inspector Jonathan Newby Michelle Thomas

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector