Kenmore Park Junior School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Ensure that teachers consistently provide suitably challenging work for all groups of pupils.
• Improve pupils’ handwriting and the presentation of their work, especially in topic work.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher and senior leaders have ensured that there is a consistent and clear vision for the future of the school. Leaders make good use of assessment information to identify next steps and to drive improvement.
• Performance management and the monitoring of teaching are productive, and members of staff are held to account for their roles and responsibilities. Training is tailored to the needs of individuals, and there are high expectations for teaching and learning.
• The curriculum ensures that pupils make good progress. Leaders have recently modified the curriculum so that pupils are better supported in developing their reading comprehension. Additional activities such as visits, visitors and clubs enhance provision and help to widen the pupils’ life experiences, especially in music.
• The new subject leaders are clear about what needs to be done to ensure that remaining inconsistencies in provision are being tackled.
• The specific funding for sports is having a positive impact on pupils’ swimming and the range of clubs and competitions that are available for pupils. A specialist coach supports pupils to extend their skills and knowledge in sport.
• Funding for disadvantaged pupils and for those who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities is having a positive impact on their learning. Additional support is targeted at the specific needs of individuals. Leaders are not afraid to change provision if it becomes clear that it is not having enough impact.
• Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted strongly. There is a good emphasis on equality and British values. For example, during the inspection, pupils were respectful when discussing the relevance of Remembrance Day. Pupils learn to admire renowned individuals from various cultures. Pupils are prepared well for life in modern Britain.
• Parents are positive about the work of the school and typically make comments such as, ‘The learning support is good’, and ‘The teachers are good communicators’.

Governance of the school

• Governance is effective.
• Governors have a good knowledge of what works well and what needs to be developed next.
• They are proactive in suggesting and developing changes in the way that aspects of the school operate.
• Governors provide the right balance between support and challenge, and have ensured that there is a wide range of experience on the governing body.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Very comprehensive records are kept on safety matters, and all adults in the school are checked for suitability and have received extensive training.
• Parents are provided with training, including on e-safety, to help their children.
• Pupils have various means of expressing their safeguarding concerns, such as worry boxes and access to an online system for sharing their worries.
• Safety concerns are referred to in the curriculum frequently. For example, in science, pupils are reminded about keeping safe when working with electric circuits.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teaching, learning and assessment are good because teachers make sure that pupils are clear about what they are learning. For example, one pupil was proud to tell us that she needed ‘to use exclamation marks’.
• Teachers have good knowledge of the subjects they teach, and share this information well. Pupils are keen to learn, and activities are varied and interesting. For example, in geography work, pupils enjoy sharing information about various climates with pupils from other groups.
• Pupils know what to learn next because teachers ask probing questions to help them to increase their knowledge and understanding. For example, pupils redraft and improve their writing in specific ‘up levelling’ sessions in which they reflect on how to improve a piece of work. Pupils are positive about their homework and said that it helps them to do well.
• Teachers and teaching assistants work together effectively, so that groups of pupils are supported well in lessons. Pupils appreciate opportunities to work individually with their teachers to set their learning targets.
• In response to a dip in attainment and progress in reading in 2016, teachers have developed the way they teach this subject across the curriculum. As a result, attainment in reading is rising. There are good opportunities for pupils to practise and extend their vocabulary and to gain a deeper understanding of what they are reading.
• Occasionally, teachers are not using assessment information well enough to ensure that they provide pupils with the right level of challenge. As a result, there are times when learning slows if the work is either too hard or not hard enough.
• Teachers expect pupils to behave well in class, although expectations of pupils’ handwriting and their presentation of work are variable, especially in topic books.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Members of staff are very caring and know the pupils’ specific needs well. They provide strong support to ensure that pupils are kept physically and emotionally fit. For example, there is valuable support for pupils who are young carers. Pupils appreciate the ‘calming down’ activities available to them if they are feeling uptight or angry.
• Pupils are extremely confident and knowledgeable about how they can succeed. They enjoy learning and are keen to improve. Pupils appreciate the individual meetings they have with their teachers to reflect on and discuss their learning.
• Pupils have a clear understanding of what they need to do to stay safe. For example, pupils recently learned that some forms of touching are inappropriate. Pupils said that they feel safe at school. They talked about the various forms that bullying can take and how to tackle them. They said that teachers deal with their concerns to their satisfaction.
• Pupils typically make positive comments such as, ‘When you are lonely, someone will come and be your friend’, and ‘The teachers care about you.’
• There are many workshops for parents to involve them in supporting their children’s learning. Leaders ensure that pupils who are finding life difficult are prioritised for places at the breakfast and after-school clubs.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are polite and friendly and keen to help each other. For example, in one class, pupils allocated themselves roles within their group so that they could work together producing posters promoting various land uses and habitats.
• Pupils move around the school sensibly. They are proud of their responsibilities and are happy at school.
• Rates of attendance are broadly average. The school takes all reasonable steps to ensure that pupils attend school regularly. Instances of persistent absence are mostly due to the specific medical needs of individuals.
• Pupils’ behaviour is good in lessons, and they do not disrupt the learning of others. There are occasions, when their work is not set at the right level, when they become quietly inattentive.
• Pupils work hard most of the time, although they do not always take enough pride in the presentation of their work, particularly in topic work.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils across the school are making good progress across a range of subjects and attainment is rising. Pupils are prepared well for the next stage of their education.
• Historically, pupils do best in mathematics, where their learning is least affected by gaps in vocabulary and comprehension.
• While attainment in reading remains below average, progress is improving rapidly. In 2016, progress in this subject was below average. Last year, leaders changed the way in which pupils are taught reading, and pupils’ knowledge and understanding of vocabulary are improving. Pupils are being taught how to look at the deeper meaning of the texts they read.
• The progress made by disadvantaged pupils has improved since 2016. While their attainment is lower than that of other pupils nationally, their progress is being monitored more rigorously than in the past. They now make good progress from their starting points.
• Pupils joining the school who are at the early stages of speaking English are supported well, enabling them to make good progress. Late entrants who have limited spoken English have a significant impact on end of Year 6 national assessment results in some years, especially in reading.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make good progress. They are supported well in class and attend additional activities specific to their needs. Occasionally, the work they are given is not adjusted well enough and, when this happens, their learning slows.
• The most able pupils make good progress over time, although there are occasions when their work is not suitably challenging to secure strong progress.
• The quality of pupils’ handwriting is variable. Pupils do not always take enough care over their written work, particularly in their topic books.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 102193 Harrow 10037692 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Junior School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Community 7 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 416 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Catherine Kittredge MBE Michael Baumring 020 820 46294 www.kpjs.harrow.sch.uk office@kpjs.harrow.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 30–31 January 2013

Information about this school

• Kenmore Park is larger than an average-sized primary school.
• Most pupils come to the school from Romanian, Asian or Asian British heritage. Most pupils speak English as an additional language, and about one in six is at the early stages when they join the school. There is a wide range of first languages, including Romanian and Gujarati.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is broadly average. The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is above average.
• The school meets 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 Year 6.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The governing body manages a breakfast and after-school club for pupils at this school and from the infant school on the shared site.

Information about this inspection

• The inspectors observed teaching and learning in 24 lessons, many jointly with the headteacher, deputy headteacher or another senior leader.
• Discussions were held with leaders, other members of staff and members of the governing body.
• Inspectors held informal discussions with several parents and scrutinised 21 responses to the Ofsted ‘Parent View’ questionnaire, 27 responses to ‘Pupil View’ and six responses from members of staff.
• Pupils in Years 3 and 6 were heard reading and samples of pupils’ work were scrutinised.
• A range of information supplied by the school was checked, including the school’s own information about how well pupils are doing, planning documents and checks on the quality of teaching. The inspectors also looked at the school development plan and records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding procedures.

Inspection team

Alison Cartlidge, lead inspector Karen Jaeggi Alison Martin

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector