Mead Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching and learning in mathematics, so that pupils’

achievement matches that in reading, by ensuring that all teachers:

• move pupils on quickly when they have mastered the task
• challenge pupils in lessons to think more deeply about their work and practise their reasoning skills
• ensure that the most able children in Reception classes are consistently given more demanding number work.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher and the executive headteacher are a winning combination. Their relentless energy, drive and hard work have led the way so that, together with staff, they provide a stimulating learning environment which enthuses pupils. Parents have a very positive view of the school.
• School leaders set consistently high expectations regarding teaching quality. They challenge less effective teaching promptly and provide effective training and support where it is needed. Teachers commented that they appreciated planning across the federation and they share senior leaders’ high expectations. One teacher commented: ‘We need to be one percent better every day’. Those new to teaching spoke highly of the support they have received.
• Staff morale is high. Teachers told inspectors that they were excited about the new federation. Senior leaders have set a clear vision and demonstrate a thorough understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Leaders regularly visit lessons and scrutinise pupil performance and books to ensure that pupils are achieving as well as possible.
• The curriculum is appropriately broad and serves pupils’ needs well. In recent times, the curriculum has been revised and the changes made have enabled pupils to have greater understanding of their learning. For example, they have a pupil passport which outlines the skills they are learning. This is shared with parents. A good range of clubs and visits to places of interest enrich the main curriculum well. One of the most able boys spoke avidly about Crime Lab Club, where he learned about solving crime through scrutinising fingerprints.
• Fundamental British values are taught well to pupils, with the promotion of respect for others a particular strength. ‘Kindness’ is one of the school’s core values, and leaders and teachers reflect this value continually in both assemblies and lessons.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted effectively. The school has a blog which celebrates additional events in which pupils participate. Activities range from pupils acting as engineers to solve global energy issues with Shell UK to key stage 1 pupils singing along with the London Symphony Orchestra. As a result, pupils are thoughtful, reflective, knowledgeable young people who are well prepared for life in modern Britain.
• Pupil premium funding is used effectively to reduce any barriers to learning that may be experienced by disadvantaged pupils, including the most able. This enables disadvantaged pupils to be successful and be part of everything the school has to offer. The progress of pupils supported by this funding is monitored well. The impact of pupil premium funding is evaluated regularly by senior leaders and the governors.
• Primary physical education (PE) and sport funding is also used well. Pupils have access to sports coaches and enjoy lessons in a variety of sports such as basketball, rugby and football. Pupils speak highly of the new equipment that has been bought by the school. In particular, all pupils enjoy using the outdoor gym.
• The leadership and organisation of provision for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is for the most part effective. Identification of need is appropriate and support is of a good standard, ensuring that pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities succeed in their learning and their personal and social development. Leaders are currently working in close partnership with the local authority to access additional resources and provision for the few pupils based in the unit for speech, language and communication who have more complex behavioural needs.
• The local authority has supported the school well on its journey of improvement prior to the federation with Broadford Primary School. The school is an active member of a network of schools. They have worked closely together to provide pupils with extra opportunities, to improve teaching skills and lesson planning and to help check the accuracy of assessments.

Governance of the school

• The newly formed governing body for the federation is effective.
• Governors are experienced, highly committed and ambitious for the school. They have carefully considered strategic decisions, such as choosing to federate, which they believe best secures the future success of the school.
• Governors know their school well, and are confident and skilled in asking challenging questions. Their expertise has been used very well to ensure that it benefits the school. For example, their knowledge of construction has enabled the school to improve buildings and outdoor play areas.
• A newly appointed parent governor commented on the high-quality training she had received so that she understands her strategic role and responsibilities. Governors have benefited from having the expertise of a national lead governor on the governing body.
• Governors do not shy away from taking difficult and challenging decisions. In the past, for example, they have tackled weaker teaching. They have a good understanding of performance management procedures and ensure that the management of teachers’ pay is effective.
• The governing body makes sure that the pupil premium, and the primary PE and sport funding, are spent effectively so that they make a positive difference to pupils.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Safeguarding procedures are fit for purpose. Information for staff and parents is very clear and checks on personnel meet all statutory requirements.
• An experienced safeguarding team leads high-quality training. All staff are up to date with the new requirements in the latest version of the Department for Education’s document ‘Keeping children safe in education’. Staff are confident in describing the procedures to report concerns, and fully understand their duty to do this. As a result, there is a clear culture of safety at the school.
• The open and caring culture which leaders have created ensures that parents and children have confidence in the school. Almost all parents agreed via the Ofsted survey Parent View that their child felt safe at school.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The quality of teaching and learning has improved across the whole school. A number of new teachers are in post. As a result, teaching is now good. This has led to pupils making good progress.
• There is a strong collaborative approach to planning as teachers have the opportunity to share good practice with other teachers from Broadford Primary School. They plan together and learn from each other so that teaching standards are applied consistently across the two schools. Pupils told inspectors that teaching is much better than before.
• The most able pupils are well served in their lessons. Activities are challenging, stimulating and make them think deeply. They particularly like the ‘chilli challenges’ – tasks that get hotter as they get more difficult. The most able disadvantaged pupils said that the hardest chilli challenges made their ‘brains ache’.
• Teachers have high expectations of pupils. Lower-ability pupils, and pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, benefit from varied and interesting activities that stimulate and engage them. Activities are well matched to the needs of pupils to ensure that they make good progress.
• Teachers and teaching assistants in the speech and communication provision are consistent in their expectation that pupils express themselves clearly and fully when they speak. Because of this, pupils gain confidence in expressing themselves and are able to respond to questions and be involved in discussion and conversation.
• Teachers regularly assess the progress that pupils are making. They use this information quickly to identify any pupil who is beginning to fall behind their classmates and make sure that any such pupil is given extra support to help them catch up. They provide intervention lessons, focusing specifically on areas of weakness.
• The development of reading, writing and mathematics is a high priority in the school and their importance is evident in classrooms, corridors and shared areas. For example, every class has a star writers’ board and a maths challenge board. Leaders’ insistence on a consistent approach to reading and writing throughout the school has had a positive effect on pupils’ progress in these subjects. In mathematics, teachers develop pupils’ understanding of number calculations by using effective resources and clear modelling. However, occasionally the activities currently planned for pupils contain too much repetition. Some teachers do not place enough emphasis on developing pupils’ deeper problem-solving and reasoning skills.
• Pupils love reading at the school. They are encouraged to read regularly at home as well as during breaktimes. The most able readers in Year 2 read appropriate books that challenge them and they are encouraged to read often, typically changing books every day. Low-ability pupils have helpful strategies to help them make sense of more difficult words. Readers in key stage 2 commented that they enjoy reading a range of material, including non-fiction.
• Teachers insist that pupils set out their work neatly. From the Reception class onwards they have high expectations that children will write neatly and carefully, and this is sustained throughout all year groups. As a result, pupils’ work is well presented and completed with pride using an attractive, joined style of writing.
• The large majority of parents who responded to the online questionnaire agree that their children are taught well and make good progress.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• A Year 6 pupil commented: ‘Mead has loads of nice people and nice friends. Teachers take care of us very well.’ Pupils are proud of their school and talk animatedly about the improvements that they have seen over the past year. They are keen to show visitors their new uniforms and equipment.
• Pupils are cheerful, polite and happy in their learning. They get on well with each other and are respectful to all in the school community. Pupils grow in confidence as they progress through the school because of the support they receive from adults.
• Pupils are well informed about how to keep themselves safe. In lessons and assemblies pupils learn about how to minimise risks to themselves. Pupils speak knowledgeably about how to keep themselves safe online. They told inspectors that unkind behaviour did not fit with the school’s values and the ABC anti-bullying code. They say that there is hardly any bullying in the school but they know that they will be listened to and supported if it does occur. School records show that there are very few incidents of bullying, including any linked to racism.
• In class, pupils work well on their own and with others. They enjoy helping each other learn, are keen to do well, willingly accept their homework tasks and speak highly of their teachers and their lessons. Pupils who are based in the alternative provision for speech, language and communication are also keen learners. They respond well to the guidance and support given to them.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils are well behaved in school. They are active in the playground, where they enjoy using a good range of equipment together. The newly bought outdoor gym equipment is very popular, with queues of patiently waiting pupils eager to take their turn. Pupils speak enthusiastically about its use and how it helps them physically. They also appreciate the quiet space, which is a separate area where they can play with toys or draw.
• In lessons, behaviour is exemplary at times in the way pupils listen attentively, work enthusiastically in their groups and always try to complete work.
• Pupils enjoy school and contribute well to a friendly and caring ethos. They show respect for adults and for each other.
• Behaviour in the resource unit is usually good. Staff know the pupils well and have trusting relationships so that pupils feel secure and respond well to adults and each other. On occasion, a few pupils with more complex needs struggle to meet the teachers’ high expectations of behaviour.
• The latest attendance records show that attendance has improved and is now in line with the national average for primary schools. The school monitors attendance carefully and pupils have responded well to the attendance awards.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils currently in the school are making good progress in all key stages.
• In the early years foundation stage, children make strong gains in their learning and development and increasing proportions of children are well prepared for learning in Year 1. The proportion of children reaching a good level of development has risen each year, and in 2016 it was just below the national average.
• After the proportion of pupils reaching the national average in the Year 1 phonics screening check dipped in 2015, the school put in extra phonics support in Year 2; these pupils have since made rapid progress. Pupils who read to inspectors impressively demonstrated their use of phonics knowledge to sound out tricky words, and used their understanding of punctuation to read quite complex texts fluently and with accuracy.
• Pupils currently in key stage 1 classes are making strong gains in their learning. Assessment information suggests that the majority are on track to meet the new expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Standards of attainment at the end of Year 6 rose significantly at the end of 2016. This is because rates of progress across key stage 2 have accelerated due to improvements in teaching. Pupils performed higher than the national expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils’ progress in reading was in the top 5% nationally. Progress was also strong in writing and mathematics.
• All groups of pupils, including the most able pupils, are achieving well. The school’s performance information shows that the most able pupils make substantial gains in their learning by the time they reach the end of key stage 2. Across the school, the most able pupils make good progress in lessons most of the time; learning is planned to challenge and stimulate their thinking.
• Disadvantaged pupils are doing well. The latest performance information shows that the majority of them are on track to reach the expected standard at the end of key stage 2. The most able disadvantaged pupils confirmed to inspectors that they are challenged in lessons. At this early stage in the academic year, work completed by this group of pupils is of a high standard.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well and make good progress from lower starting points. Staff quickly identify their needs. Skilled teaching assistants then support them well, but at the same time they promote their independence by not giving more help than they need. Pupils in the speech and communication provision who receive specialist support achieve well from their varied starting points. They enjoy many engaging learning experiences that develop their speaking, listening and writing skills well. The unit is working hard with the local authority to source extra provision for the few pupils who have complex behavioural needs.

Early years provision Good

• While many children start school with skills and knowledge below what is typical for their age, they make good progress. Over a third begin school speaking no English. Children are given every opportunity to develop their understanding of language. They do this through formal, well-planned phonics sessions and by answering probing questions posed to them by teachers and assistants. The proportion of children reaching a good level of development has increased every year and was almost at the national average in 2016. Children are well prepared and confident to start in Year 1.
• Additional funding to support disadvantaged children in the early years is used well and as a result they make good progress.
• The leadership’s vision is to foster a love of learning from the beginning of school. They have a clear view of the strengths and weaknesses of the early years provision. They have invested heavily in creating a vibrant and stimulating environment in which to learn. Children can explore a range of equipment that encourages them to build, create and try out their ideas.
• Activities are fun and capture the children’s imagination, both inside the classroom and outdoors. There is supported play as well as independent play where children are encouraged to make their own decisions and observations. For example, a group played with percussion instruments and an assistant helped them to keep the rhythm going through turn-taking. The children were delighted with the music they created as a group. In another exercise, children investigated the speed of water as it flowed from height. They shared equipment and took it in turns to pour water down a drainpipe. They were encouraged to talk about what they saw. Children make good progress with their personal development as they often work collaboratively.
• The quality of teaching is consistently good. Teachers’ assessment and the tracking of children’s learning are of high quality. The strong parental liaison means that their view of their child’s ability is used to help staff plan an appropriate curriculum that is interesting and matched to need. Teachers recognise that they need to challenge the most able children with more demanding number work.
• Teachers and other adults are good role models; they establish strong relationships with the children. Consequently, school rules and routines are followed well by children. Safeguarding is effective and children’s welfare is given a high priority by all staff.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 102322 Havering 10019665 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Number of pupils on the school roll Primary Community 3 to 11 Mixed 649 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Chris Kent/Gill Gordon Executive headteacher Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Malcolm Drakes Linda Smith 01708 343 616 http://www.mead.havering.sch.uk/ mail@mead.havering.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 23–24 October 2014

Information about this school

• The school does not meet requirements on the publication of information about pupil premium and primary physical education and sport funding expenditure for the academic year 2015/2016 and its impact. Information on the website details the previous year.
• The school federated with Broadford Primary School on 1 July 2016. Broadford Primary School was judged an outstanding school in 2014. The executive headteacher oversees both schools. Each school has a headteacher in post. There is a new governing body formed from both schools. The senior leadership team in Mead Primary has been restructured.
• The school is much larger than most primary schools nationally. There are three classes in each year group, except in Year 6 where there are two.
• The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is almost twice the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is similar to that found in most schools. The school has specialist provision for up to 10 pupils with speech, language and communication difficulties from Reception to Year 4.
• Less than one fifth of pupils speak English as an additional language. This is in line with the national average. When children enter the school, a third speak no English.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning in all key stages of the school and in all classes. Several of the observations took place accompanied by the executive headteacher or headteacher. Inspectors scrutinised many examples of pupils’ work. In addition, they heard pupils of different ability levels read. They observed pupils’ behaviour at breaktime and as they moved around the school.
• Inspectors held meetings with senior leaders, middle leaders, representatives of the governing body and pupils. They analysed 206 responses on Parent View and spoke with parents at the beginning of the day.
• Inspectors looked at a wide range of documentation, including the school’s development plan, audit reports, policies and records related to safeguarding, records of pupils’ behaviour, the school’s information about pupils’ outcomes and attendance, and records of meetings of the governing body.
• Inspectors also checked the school’s website and ensured that it meets the requirements on the publication of specified information.

Inspection team

Liz Smith, lead inspector Sean Flood Kanwaljit Singh Chris Birtles Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector