Hounslow Town Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by ensuring that:
  • teaching is strengthened, particularly in Years 5 and 6, so that pupils make good progress in reading and mathematics
  • the proportion of disadvantaged pupils achieving at least the national expectations in reading, writing and mathematics, at the end of key stage 2, is at least similar to that of other pupils nationally
  • the reading curriculum is enhanced to enable pupils to better develop their comprehension skills in key stage 2
  • performance management is used effectively to promote the best practice in teaching and learning
  • leaders and governors rigorously evaluate the impact of the use of the pupil premium funding on the progress of disadvantaged pupils across the school.
• Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment by:
  • sharing and building on the good practice found in the school
  • providing pupils in Years 5 and 6 with more challenging work in reading and mathematics to enable them to achieve as well as they should
  • ensuring that pupils in key stage 2 better develop their comprehension skills through reading texts that are matched to their abilities.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management

Requires improvement

• In the past, weak leadership and management and changes in staff have resulted in pupils not receiving a good standard of education, particularly in key stage 2.
• Leaders have not been rigorous in sustaining good teaching across the school over the past few years. The quality of teaching is variable, particularly for pupils in Years 5 and 6. Leaders have not ensured that pupils in Years 5 and 6 receive consistently strong teaching to make the progress they should. As a result, the progress these pupils make is not as strong as that of pupils in the rest of the school.
• Over the past few years, teachers’ assessments of pupils’ attainment and progress have lacked sufficient accuracy. As a result, leaders inaccurately evaluated the school’s strengths, and did not robustly ensure strong outcomes for pupils.
• Leaders’ evaluation of the impact of actions on how to spend the pupil premium funding to improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils has been inconsistent. Until recently, leaders did not have accurate information about disadvantaged pupils’ progress. Consequently, the achievement of disadvantaged pupils is variable across the school and is particularly low in Years 5 and 6.
• The design of the reading curriculum in key stage 2 does not ensure that pupils have opportunities to develop their comprehension skills well. Leaders recognise the need to change how reading is taught in key stage 2, and have taken action to do this. However, the implementation of this change is at too early a stage to discern any notable impact.
• The recent appointment of an inspirational headteacher has already led to several improvements. She has empowered enthusiastic senior and middle leaders to begin to hold other staff to account as part of a ‘no excuses’ culture. Senior leaders have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses, and demonstrate strong aspiration for the school to succeed.
• Additional funding for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is used well. Leaders ensure that pupils in the Rainbow resource base receive strong care and guidance. Pupils who have complex SEN and/or disabilities receive specialist care linked to their needs and are included well in the wider school.
• The primary school physical education and sport premium is used well to enable pupils to benefit from the expertise of specialist sports coaches. Pupils receive many opportunities to develop their skills in physical education, which they value.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well. Pupils benefit from learning about a wide range of religions. Assemblies bring the community together and encourage pupils to think deeply about the school’s values, which are linked to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. This helps pupils to become respectful British citizens.
• The curriculum is broad and gives pupils opportunities to develop their understanding of a range of themes and subjects. For example, pupils take part in trips and workshops, often linked to their history and geography topics.
• Pupils’ attendance remains strong for all groups of pupils because leaders monitor this robustly.
• Parents and carers agree that their children are safe and well cared for at the school. The majority of parents would recommend the school to others.

Governance of the school

• In the past, the governing body did not hold senior leaders robustly to account. The school was going through a transitionary phase of its assessment procedures due to the new national curriculum. The school’s assessment information was not precise enough to allow governors to pinpoint where there were weaknesses, particularly around the progress of disadvantaged pupils.
• Governors now have a better understanding of the school and ask some pertinent questions to challenge leaders. For example, governors have questioned leaders about the difference the interventions for specific groups of pupils have made. Consequently, governors are now mostly accurate in their understanding of the differences that new initiatives make.
• Governors carry out safeguarding training and demonstrate a strong understanding of potential risks to pupils in the local area.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Staff are well trained in all aspects of safeguarding, including the ‘Prevent’ duty. They demonstrate a good understanding of the school’s policies and referral systems.
• Leaders make strong use of external agencies and are tenacious in following up concerns with the local authority. Leaders have a strong understanding of potential risks to pupils in the community, and ensure that any concerns are followed up. For example, leaders make staff and parents aware of specific social media and gaming sites.
• Leaders have ensured that the potential risks associated with the extensive building work around the site are managed well. The site is secure and adults remain vigilant during playtimes.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inconsistent. As a result, pupils’ progress is variable, particularly in Years 5 and 6.
• In key stage 2, the teaching of reading is not effective because teachers are at the early stages of implementing a new approach to teaching reading. Too often, pupils read books and texts that are not challenging enough. When teachers choose challenging books, they do not guide pupils with tasks or questioning to deepen their thinking. For example, in Year 5, pupils enjoyed reading ‘The Secret Garden’, but did not have the necessary skills to use information from the text to aid their understanding of the meaning of what they read.
• When work is not demanding for pupils, they lose interest and this slows their learning. In some classes, particularly in Years 5 and 6, pupils who need the next level of challenge wait too long before they are moved on to the next task. Sometimes, pupils choose work that is too easy for them and teachers do not check that tasks are challenging and matched to pupils’ abilities.
• In mathematics, pupils demonstrate a secure understanding of how to calculate. They use a range of calculation strategies and demonstrate a strong understanding of applying their learning to more complex tasks. For example, in Year 6, pupils solved problems involving percentages, using a ‘bubble’ method. However, in Years 5 and 6, pupils, particularly the most able, told inspectors that they found the work too easy. This limits the progress they can make.
• The teaching of writing is secure. Pupils typically develop fluent writing skills. In key stage 1, pupils make use of strong phonics skills to write increasingly long pieces. In Year 2, pupils used conjunctions and formal English with confidence when they wrote about pirates. Teachers encourage pupils to develop their writing well in subjects such as history and religious education. Pupils’ writing in their independent writing books is often of a high quality. However, there are inconsistencies in the quality and frequency of writing between some classes, particularly where there have been changes to teaching staff.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are supported well, particularly in the resource base. They receive strong support from adults, who set clear boundaries and interesting tasks to develop their social skills. Strong questioning and reinforcement of new language by adults enabled these pupils to progress well in their speaking and listening skills. For example, pupils who have complex needs in the Rainbow section were challenged to share their decisions on the correct use of bowls and spoons to give to ‘the three bears’. These pupils study the same topics as their peers, thus including them as fully in the mainstream curriculum as appropriate.
• Teachers ensure that pupils benefit from learning a range of subjects, and cross- curricular learning in topic lessons is strong. For example, in Year 1, pupils learned about space in the ‘busy learning area’ to enhance their writing and creative artwork.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils are respectful of differences, and benefit from many opportunities in personal, social and health (PSH) education to learn about themes such as tolerance. Pupils enjoy religious education lessons, showing a strong respect for different faiths. A pupil shared with inspectors that everyone, irrespective of their backgrounds, should be ‘treated fairly and be kind’.
• Adults provide good support to pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities and encourage them to take a full part in activities with their peers. For example, with strong adult support, pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities integrated seamlessly with their peers during a history lesson in Year 4. Such practice helps these pupils develop their self-esteem.
• Pupils told inspectors that bullying was very rare and ‘everybody gets on with each other’. Inspectors agree. Pupils have a good understanding of online safety, including the potential risks of sharing information on online gaming sites.
• Pupils benefit from a wide range of extra-curricular activities, including dance and sports. They speak highly of tuition, which enables them to learn musical instruments.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils behave well in class, even when the work set by teachers is not challenging. Pupils are well mannered and have positive attitudes to their learning. They move around the school in an orderly manner.
• During playtimes, pupils manage the limits of the playground well. Despite much of their playground area being restricted due to building work, they play sensibly with their friends.
• Pupils’ attendance remains at least in line with the national average for most groups, including disadvantaged pupils. Pupils settle quickly and take part in their lessons with little disruption.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics across classes and year groups is variable. In particular, the progress of pupils in Years 5 and 6 from their starting points is weak in reading and mathematics.
• The most able pupils across the school, including those who are disadvantaged, have not been challenged sufficiently in key stage 2 to achieve greater depth in their learning.
• In 2017, the proportion of pupils reaching the expected age-related standard in reading at the end of key stage 2 was below average. The proportion of pupils achieving the higher standards in reading was below the national average.
• The achievement of disadvantaged pupils remains low. In 2017, at the end of key stage 2, disadvantaged pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics was well below that of other pupils nationally. Only a small proportion of pupils met the higher standards at the end of Year 6.
• The proportion of pupils attaining the expected standard in the national phonics screening check at the end of Year 1, in 2017, was above the national average.
• Pupils in key stage 1 make strong progress. The proportion of key stage 1 pupils who met the expected standard or attained higher standards in reading and writing in 2017 was similar to the national average. Pupils meeting the expected and higher standards in mathematics was above the national average.

Early years provision Good

• Children make good progress in early years due to strong leadership and consistently good teaching. Children behave well and work collaboratively with their peers.
• Leaders demonstrate a robust understanding of individual children’s needs. Children’s progress is assessed regularly and leaders have systematic systems in place, which enable them to capture children’s learning across all areas of the early years curriculum.
• Children in the Nursery and Reception classes benefit from a vibrant learning environment. Children have set routines and are encouraged to develop their confidence. For example, through skilful questioning, an adult encouraged a child to compare the size of a tower he had made with other objects in the classroom. This helped the child to think about comparing objects and to change his original tower to make it ‘equal’.
• Reading is promoted well and children have a strong grasp of early phonics skills. Children have a good understanding of a wide range of books. Teachers encourage children to rehearse stories and rhymes out aloud. For example, children engaged well while re-telling the story of ‘The Gruffalo’. This helped develop children’s awareness of new vocabulary, sentence structure and punctuation.
• There are many opportunities for children to be creative. For example, children created a ‘starry night’ painting, using watercolours linked to their theme of space. Children also used sticks from the local area to create a ‘stick man’ structure related to their work around a book.
• The additional funding for children who have SEN and/or disabilities is used effectively. Leaders identify children who have additional needs and work closely with external specialists to provide good support. Children who have SEN are included well in lessons and progress well.
• Leaders recognise that in the past, children’s understanding of the world was not as strong as in other areas of learning. Children now benefit from exciting activities to learn about the wider world. For example, they role play confidently in the restaurant area and celebrate a wide range of cultural events, including Chinese New Year.
• Teachers effectively encourage children to apply their phonics knowledge to their writing. For example, children wrote descriptive words about ‘The Gruffalo’. They used their phonics sound prompts well to help them write. However, on occasions, the most able children are not appropriately challenged to extend their writing further.
• The effective use of the early years outdoor area was an area for improvement identified at the time of the previous inspection. In the past, children’s opportunities to learn outside were limited. Leaders have addressed this well overall. Children now use the outdoor space regularly for activities to promote their personal development and creativity. However, the effectiveness of adults’ interactions with children outside varies. As a result, in some areas of learning, children do not make as much progress as they should when they learn outside.
• Parents have positive views about the level of care provided and the progress their children make. Parents share children’s achievements at home with teachers, through ‘wow’ slips. The school has encouraged fathers to take a more active role through a ‘dad’s day’, where they designed and made structures with their children.
• In 2015, the proportion of children who left the Reception classes with a good overall level of development was significantly below the national average. In 2016 and 2017, this figure rose and is now close to the national average. Disadvantaged children attain well above the national average. Children’s progress in communication and language, reading and writing is strong and their attainment in these areas is similar to the national average. This means that children are well prepared for the Year 1 curriculum.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 102491 Hounslow 10041985 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 936 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Frances Rowswell Mrs Laura Khalil 0208 570 1747 www.hounslowtownprimary.co.uk office@hounslowtown.hounslow.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 5 February 2014

Information about this school

• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6.
• Hounslow Town Primary School is much larger than the average primary school. The school has expanded considerably since the previous inspection. A newly built school is planned to become operational by September 2018, and the school is expected to reach full capacity by 2022.
• The headteacher joined the school in September 2017.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is broadly in line with the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is above the national average.
• Pupils come from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds. The largest groups come from Asian or Asian British and Indian British backgrounds.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is similar to the national average.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning in all year groups. Many observations were undertaken jointly with senior leaders.
• Inspectors met with governors, including the chair of the governing body, and a senior school improvement adviser from the local authority.
• Meetings were held with senior and middle leaders to evaluate the impact of their work.
• Inspectors heard pupils read and talked with pupils informally throughout the inspection.
• Inspectors scrutinised books in all classrooms, across a range of subjects.
• A range of documentation was considered, including the school’s self-evaluation, assessment information, and records relating to attendance, safeguarding and behaviour.
• Inspectors considered 63 responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Parent View. They also took into account the 42 staff responses and 35 pupil responses to the online surveys.

Inspection team

Noeman Anwar, lead inspector Gill Bal Jeff Cole Ross Macdonald

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector