Drapers' Maylands Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve further the quality of teaching, learning and assessment by
  • ensuring that the writing tasks that pupils are set promote sustained development of the style and content of their writing, particularly for the most able pupils
  • checking that teachers have consistently high expectations of the use of writing when deepening learning across a wide range of subjects.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The principal and her senior team provide determined, effective leadership which has secured firm foundations for this new school. Leaders demonstrate the capacity to sustain improvement as the school continues to grow. They are driven by a strong commitment to eliminating inequality and broadening pupils’ horizons.
• School leaders and governors have a broadly accurate view of the school’s current effectiveness. They use this to set appropriate priorities for improvement. For example, this year leaders have worked hard to improve the quality of teaching of writing, which remains a key area for development.
• Senior leaders are developing the skills of other staff in positions of responsibility, including in evaluating the quality of teaching. For example, leadership of reading and science has been successful in improving provision for these subjects in the short time since the school opened.
• Leaders have been particularly effective in creating and sustaining the conditions for pupils from diverse backgrounds to succeed and enjoy learning. The large proportion of pupils who arrive mid-year, often at a very early stage of learning English as an additional language, quickly settle in and make excellent progress.
• The use of additional funds from the pupil premium has been well planned and rigorously evaluated. As a result, disadvantaged pupils flourish both academically and socially. Differences between their progress and that of other pupils have been all but eliminated as a result. All disadvantaged pupils have access to a range of after-school activities, and support for their emotional well-being when this is considered to be at risk.
• The sports premium funding is spent effectively to support leaders’ priority of ensuring that pupils understand the importance to their well-being of a healthy lifestyle.
• Senior leaders have a precise and comprehensive knowledge of outcomes for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. They use this well to make sure that any additional funding and school resources are leading to sustained progress for this group of pupils. Leaders can provide compelling accounts of how significant barriers to learning have been overcome for these pupils.
• The curriculum ensures that pupils develop their knowledge and skills securely across a broad range of subjects. Leaders check how well teachers put plans for learning into practice and take action to make improvements when necessary. However, despite this vigilance, pupils’ work demonstrates that variations remain in the degree of challenge to deepen their understanding within some subjects.
• Pupils develop a strong moral purpose, because staff consistently expect them to uphold the school’s values. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is enriched by a broad range of activities, visits and experiences which pupils and their parents say are hugely enjoyable and motivating. Leaders work relentlessly to help pupils to realise how to make the most of their rights, responsibilities and opportunities. This helps them to understand British values and apply these to their own lives.

Governance of the school

• Members of the governing body possess a wide range of experience and expertise which they use well to challenge leaders. They ensure that external checks and advice about important matters, such as safeguarding, take place. These deepen the evidence that they use to consider how well the school serves its pupils.
• Records of governors’ meetings show that they seek to consider how to review their own effectiveness and make plans for the expansion of the governing body as the school grows. Governors use the resources provided by the multi-academy trust effectively in this and other matters.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The policy for safeguarding is well understood by staff. Leaders are already incorporating published revisions to statutory guidance and have included them in the policy on the school’s website.
• Senior leaders understand the predominant risks facing pupils. They are creative and determined in establishing good communications and relationships with parents so that concerns can be picked up promptly. Training for staff covers a suitably broad and well-considered range of issues.
• Pupils, parents and staff typically express confidence in safeguarding arrangements. A recent comprehensive review of safeguarding conducted by the local authority helped leaders and governors to feel assured that their systems are effective.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teaching is successful in ensuring that pupils sustain good progress in English, mathematics and across a wide range of subjects. Teachers provide interesting lessons and make good use of assessment to check how well pupils are learning.
• Teachers and additional adults work as an effective team to implement agreed teaching policies consistently. For example, they ensure that pupils develop an enjoyment of mathematics and have ample opportunity to secure their skills in performing calculations. The most able pupils particularly benefit from well-planned opportunities to use and apply their mathematical skills. For example, pupils have recently been using calculations when designing a waterwheel.
• The teaching of phonics is effective in helping pupils to build systematically on their knowledge of the sounds that letters make. Teachers demonstrate consistently excellent subject knowledge when explaining phonics methods to pupils of all abilities. As a result, nearly all pupils are able to read confidently and develop a strong interest in books by the time they are in Year 2.
• Teachers and additional adults use questioning well to check pupils’ understanding and challenge the most able to think about their work.
• The teaching of writing is effective in helping pupils to understand how to use grammar and improve their spelling. Pupils who speak English as an additional language make exceptional progress as a result of teachers’ strong skills in providing the necessary support. However, the teaching is not consistent in building on pupils’ writing skills when they are ready for new challenges. There are also varied expectations of pupils’ use of writing when communicating in other subjects.
• Lessons in subjects across the curriculum motivate and capture the interest of pupils. For example, the artist in residence works well with other teachers to think up creative starting points for pupils to apply their learning. On occasion, however, the work that pupils are given is insufficiently challenging.
• Teachers and additional adults provide pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities with clear explanations that they understand. They also benefit from teachers’ high expectations of pupils in supporting one another with their learning during lessons.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Leaders give the highest priority to pupils’ emotional well-being. This enables them to provide excellent opportunities across the curriculum to help pupils to learn how to stay safe. Pupils feel confident about discussing any concerns that they may have. Parents typically express very positive views about pupils’ welfare and development while at the school.
• Pupils benefit from leaders’ determined drive to help pupils to understand their rights and responsibilities, including, for example, to respect others and tackle stereotypes. The school has sought and received external verification of its effectiveness as a ‘rights respecting school’.
• Pupils, and particularly the most able, make excellent strides in their personal development as a result of the part that they are expected to play in helping others and leading by example.
• Leaders provide clear and effective support to pupils and parents so that they understand how to stay safe when using the internet.
• There are excellent arrangements to help pupils to learn the importance of healthy eating and engaging in exercise to stay fit.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Lessons are rarely interrupted by poor behaviour, because pupils are clear about teachers’ expectations and they are enthusiastic about upholding the school’s values.
• Pupils who are new to the school very quickly pick up on their peers’ appetite for learning and exemplary behaviour. The clear and consistently implemented school routines mean that new pupils settle in well.
• Pupils say that discriminatory behaviour and bullying are rare. They thrive on the responsibilities that adults offer them, such as the ‘class ambassador’ role. At playtime, pupils look after one another and school equipment with an admirable sense of responsibility.
• Leaders have been successful in improving pupils’ attendance and have halved the number of pupils who are persistently absent in the current school year.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils across the school make very good progress in reading and mathematics, and their progress is generally good in writing and the range of other subjects taught.
• Disadvantaged pupils make similar, and often better, progress than others, as do those who speak English as an additional language.
• The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics check exceeded the national average in 2017. This represents continued good progress from secure starting points. The small number of pupils who did not meet the standard are nearly all catching up with their peers. Year 2 pupils read well to inspectors, demonstrating effective skills in talking about books that they are familiar with.
• The most able pupils typically sustain good progress in key stage 1, consistently building on the good levels of development that they attained at the end of the Reception Year. However, they do not sustain such strong progress in writing as in reading and mathematics.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make similar progress from their starting points to other pupils. Leaders’ and teachers’ determination to help these pupils to overcome any barriers to their learning, including the effective use of additional adults, contributes well to the progress that they make over time.
• Pupils benefit from interesting and effective opportunities to learn skills and acquire knowledge across the curriculum, generally making good progress. However, pupils’ work shows that variations remain in the extent to which pupils deepen their understanding in some subjects.

Early years provision Outstanding

• Children arrive in the Reception Year with skills well below those typical for their age. The early years also admits children throughout the year, with typically very low skills. Determined leadership and consistently effective teaching ensure that children make substantial progress. The proportion achieving a good level of development was well above the national average in 2017. Approximately one in five children exceeded a good level of development. This ensures that children are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage of their education.
• An aura of calm, purposeful learning prevails in the indoor and outdoor areas of both Reception classes. Teachers make sure that children know how to make the most of the activities on offer and check that there is suitable challenge for the most able.
• Children are fascinated by lessons and learn to cooperate effectively because of the clear guidance that staff give them. This leads to typically outstanding behaviour, even from children who have recently arrived and are settling into the school.
• Leaders check that assessment is accurate and based on a broad range of evidence. They use a wide range of methods, including social media, to help parents to understand the setting’s teaching methods and make a contribution to their child’s learning.
• Teaching is consistently effective in helping children to make progress in developing their skills in reading, writing and mathematics. Leaders pick up quickly when additional training or support is needed to help teaching staff to continue to have a significant impact on children’s progress.
• Safeguarding is effective in the early years. Members of staff are well trained in recognising indications that children may be at risk of harm. The setting is secure, well maintained and well supervised. The curriculum offers outstanding opportunities for children to begin to understand how to keep themselves safe.

School details

Unique reference number 141549 Local authority Havering Inspection number 10048333 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Academy free school Age range of pupils 3 to 11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 143 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Chair Mr Tom Harris Principal Ms Trudy Spillane Telephone number 01708 371331 Website www.drapersmaylands.com Email address admin@drapersmaylands.com Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• Drapers Maylands School opened in September 2015. It is a free school which is part of the Drapers’ Multi-Academy Trust. The school moved into its new, purpose-built premises in September 2017. The school currently has pupils in the Reception Year and key stage 1. All of the pupils attend full time.
• The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium is slightly above average.
• A larger proportion of pupils than average speak English as an additional language. They come from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds.
• The proportion of pupils who receive support for SEN is above average.
• There is no off-site provision.
• The school meets the requirements for what it is expected to publish on its website.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors carried out observations in lessons and looked at pupils’ work in all parts of the school. Many of these activities were carried out with senior leaders. A school assembly was also visited.
• Inspectors also held meetings with a group of pupils, leaders responsible for different aspects of school provision and representatives of the governing body. The lead inspector also had discussions with the interim chief executive officer of the multi-academy trust of which the school is a part.
• Inspectors reviewed documents related to safeguarding, pupils’ progress and school improvement.
• The 52 responses to the Parent View questionnaire, 18 written responses from parents and one telephone call from a parent were also taken into account. Inspectors also held informal discussions with a number of parents.

Inspection team

Andrew Wright, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Andrew Hook Her Majesty’s Inspector