Granton Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• To raise standards even further, the leaders and teachers should continue to focus on improving pupils’ skills in comprehension when reading.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• Leaders have created a strong family atmosphere where pupils and staff feel highly valued and share a love of learning. The headteacher and senior leaders have made sure that the school has continued to improve very strongly.
• Leadership at all levels in the school is outstanding. The headteacher and governors have systematically identified and developed leadership qualities in other staff. For example, the phase leaders know their year groups very well and provide highly effective support for teaching and learning. Subject leaders in English and mathematics have very successfully taken on considerable responsibility for raising standards in these subjects.
• Leaders at all levels evaluate the quality of the school accurately and in depth. This helps them to pinpoint areas in need of further improvement; development plans have realistic yet challenging targets. They are currently focusing effectively on reading to ensure that pupils’ comprehension skills continue to improve.
• Leaders and teachers regularly check pupils’ progress and set challenging targets for achievement. Teachers use these aspirational targets to modify how they teach their classes and to identify pupils who need extra support.
• Regular checks on the quality of teaching by phase and subject leaders help to identify where improvement may be needed and excellent professional training and development help staff to improve their skills. The support they receive helps to motivate staff and they work highly effectively in their year and phase teams.
• The curriculum is extremely rich and provides a very secure framework for teaching and learning. Subjects such as art, music, and design and technology give pupils experience of working on real projects. In art, the theme of ‘discovery’ made links with work in history on the Romans, and in design and technology pupils have worked with external specialists on design and marketing. Work in all subjects supports English and mathematics. For example, pupils use effectively their mathematics skills in science and writing skills in history.
• Sport is an important part of the curriculum and the school offers a wide range of activities including tae kwon do in Year 6. Pupils take part very successfully in many competitive events and the school was chosen this as a pilot school for the ‘School Run’ event in London.
• The additional physical education and sports funding is used very wisely. Specialist coaching in a range of sports through Fulham Football Club helps teachers to improve their teaching of physical education. A very large number of pupils take part in sporting activities.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent. Activities such as workshops and visits to galleries, theatres and museums widen pupils’ horizons in art, music and drama and help them to learn about their own, and other cultures. They learn about Christian and other festivals of the main world religions and learn to respect people of other faiths.
• The school fully prepares pupils to be responsible citizens, able to participate actively and positively in British society. Pupils discussed how their elections to the school council were a form of democracy and related this to a visit some of them had made to the Houses of Parliament to meet their local Member of Parliament.
• The school is very much part of its local community, for example the school library is open on a Saturday for local residents as well as pupils and their families.
• Additional funding to support disadvantaged pupils is used exceptionally well and they do at least as well as, and often better than, other pupils nationally. They share the same high aspirations as other pupils in the school.
• Parents could not speak highly enough of the commitment of staff. They say their children are happy, love school and are doing very well. Almost everyone responding to Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey, said they would recommend the school to others. Parents particularly like the ‘Reading Café’ and ‘Maths Café’ where they can work with their children and learn more about how reading and mathematics are taught.

Governance of the school

• The governors both support and challenge the headteacher and leadership team on key issues such as safeguarding, pupils’ achievement and the quality of teaching. Governors ask rigorous and perceptive questions to establish just how well the school is doing and where improvements are needed. They analyse the reports and data they receive and visit the school regularly to see for themselves the impact of developments and to talk to pupils and staff.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective and are kept under review.
• School records show that safeguarding policies are implemented appropriately. Staff are very well trained and fully understand their responsibilities and the procedures that they should follow. The site is secure and pupils feel safe.
• Those responsible for the leadership of safeguarding within the school understand how to manage any issues. They work closely with the other agencies who are responsible for children’s safety and protection and make sure that issues are followed up.
• The school website shows how seriously safeguarding is taken in the school. It provides parents and visitors with detailed information and guidance. Staff work closely with parents to ensure that any issues are dealt with sensitively and thoroughly.
• Pupils know how to keep themselves safe. Work on different aspects of safeguarding such as road safety and e-safety helps to keep them safe, both in and out of school. Leaders ensure that work with pupils includes a focus on radicalisation and extremism. Pupils understand these issues at a level appropriate to their maturity.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

• Teachers create a very positive environment in classes so that pupils grow in confidence and enjoy working and learning together. Pupils know that teachers and other adults will help and support them as well as challenging them.
• From the Nursery onwards, pupils make rapid progress because the activities capture their imagination and make them want to find out more.
• A high level of challenge is typical in all classes. For example, in Year 5 pupils were intrigued by the story portrayed in Tennyson’s poem ‘The lady of Shalott’. They were fully engaged in analysing the poem and the characters in it, showing considerable maturity in their understanding.
• Teachers’ detailed records of what pupils have already learned and how well they have achieved help in planning work which builds systematically on their knowledge and understanding. The work in books, for example on science investigations, shows how the stimulating teaching engages the interest of pupils in different year groups.
• Pupils respond enthusiastically to expert teaching and take responsibility for their learning. They are keen to know how they can improve and take notice of the feedback they receive.
• Teachers have access to a good range of resources, including interactive whiteboards which they use very effectively in lessons. They help pupils to be secure in their understanding of the basics before moving on to getting them to think more deeply about topics.
• Throughout the school, reading and writing are taught well. In the early years and key stage 1, the phonics programme gives pupils a very secure start in reading and writing. In all classes, teachers are rightly focusing strongly on improving pupils’ reading comprehension skills. Discussion of texts centres on reading for meaning so that pupils become more confident in understanding the story and characters and in drawing out inferences in a text.
• Pupils enjoy mathematics because teachers systematically teach the skills and demonstrate how to apply these to solving problems. Teachers encourage pupils to try out different methods. Pupils are expected to present their work neatly so that the strategies they have used are clear.
• In all classes, pupils are encouraged to develop their ideas orally and become more confident in speaking. The impact of this is seen throughout the school and most pupils are confident when talking to adults and can explain their ideas very effectively. Pupils were very keen to talk to the inspection team about their work and their views of the school.
• Teachers’ detailed knowledge of their pupils means that they can match learning to specific individual needs. This helps pupils to gain confidence and make rapid progress. Teaching assistants are well trained to support individuals and small groups very effectively. This particularly helps pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities to make at least good progress from their different starting points.
• Disadvantaged pupils also have any individual needs identified and highly effective support helps them to overcome any barriers to learning that they may have. Pupils at an early stage of learning English receive similarly effective support and rapidly become confident users of the language.

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 very proud of their school and keen to recommend it. Pupils like being challenged and have excellent attitudes to work. This has helped to raise their achievement.
• The school gives all pupils access to a very wide range of opportunities for personal development. Year 6 pupils train as peer mediators and become ‘Granton Buddies’. Other pupils are learning ambassadors for their class or digital leaders. Pupils can work on eco projects both in school and on visits. In 2016, pupils took part in a Remembrance Day project where making and selling poppies raised over £750 for the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal. Projects such as these and the ‘Community Roadwatch’ scheme with the local police help pupils to develop skills in planning and teamwork.
• The school has rigorous systems for checking on attendance and following up on unexplained or persistent absence. Staff have worked hard with both pupils and their parents to show how much difference regular attendance makes to achievement. As a result, attendance has improved considerably since the previous inspection and is now in line with other schools. The number of persistent absentees has also dropped considerably.
• Pupils understand the school values and what is expected of them. Their views are respected, they are consulted about major changes and are encouraged to contribute their ideas for improving the school. Members of the school council have been involved in assisting with staff appointments.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Pupils learn to take responsibility for managing their own behaviour and low-level disruption is extremely rare.
• Pupils are welcoming and are confident and articulate ambassadors for their school. They are friendly and polite to adults and other pupils.
• Relationships at all levels are excellent. Staff are role models for their pupils, strongly promoting respect for others, whatever their background or beliefs; pupils respond very positively to this.
• Pupils feel safe and know who to go to if there are any concerns or problems. They have been taught how to stay safe online, for example they know not to give out any personal information to others. They say that bullying is rare and should it occur, it is swiftly dealt with.
• In the playground, pupils acting as play leaders take their responsibilities very seriously. They help others to resolve issues in the playground so that any minor disagreements are not allowed to develop into something more serious.

Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

• Children in the Nursery and Reception classes make very rapid progress and more children are now achieving a good level of development across the areas of learning than previously. Overall, outcomes are now close to the national average.
• In the Year 1 phonics check the proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard is above the national average. By the end of Year 2, pupils typically now reach standards in reading, writing and mathematics which are at least in line with the national expectations and often better. Many of these pupils joined after the start of Year 1.
• Year 6 pupils have achieved above-average standards in writing and mathematics and standards in line with the national expectations in reading. They are extremely well prepared for the next stage of their education.
• From the Nursery and Reception classes onwards, individual progress is almost always at least good and frequently outstanding. About a quarter of the pupils join the school later than their peers. Where these pupils are at risk of not achieving as highly as others, the school quickly puts support in place to improve their rates of progress and raise attainment. Consequently, most of them are able to catch up rapidly.
• More than half the pupils in the school speak English as an additional language and as a result of focused work and support their progress is comparable to that of others. Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make at least good progress from their starting points. Where their progress is slower, this is almost always because of circumstances entirely beyond the control of the school.
• Disadvantaged pupils, including the most able disadvantaged, make similar progress to other pupils. Some make exceptionally good progress. For example, in most year groups these pupils have made slightly better progress than others in writing because teachers have planned the work well to meet their specific needs.
• Pupils told the inspectors how much they enjoy reading. They learn to read accurately and most pupils read with expression and understanding. A few pupils struggle with comprehension, sometimes because they are at an early stage of learning English. However, leaders and staff are aware of this and work with pupils to build up their skills.
• The work in pupils’ books shows that they develop excellent writing skills which they use for a variety of purposes. For example, pupils in Year 4 had written lively and interesting stories and factual accounts about ancient Rome. These showed both detailed knowledge of the history and the ability to write accurately and at length.
• In mathematics, pupils make outstanding progress in both the basic skills and in learning to use what they know to solve increasingly challenging and complex problems. Their work is very neatly presented, which helps them to demonstrate how they have achieved an appropriate solution to a problem.

Early years provision Outstanding

• Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the early years provision. They spoke very highly of the staff and said that their children are safe, happy and getting an excellent start to their education.
• Most children start school with knowledge and skills that are low compared to what might typically be expected for their age, particularly those who are at an early stage of learning English. The children rapidly learn the routines in the Nursery and Reception classes and settle well, becoming independent and able to look after themselves.
• Children relate well to other children, learning to play happily together and share toys and equipment. Relationships with adults are warm and children trust adults to look after them.
• The indoor and outdoor areas are attractive and well organised to encourage children to be creative and imaginative. As a result, children make outstanding progress across all areas of learning. By the time they transfer to Year 1, their knowledge and skills are broadly typical for their age. They are confident and well prepared for their next steps.
• Children from disadvantaged backgrounds make progress which is at least as good as others, and often better. This is because staff understand and cater for their individual needs. Children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are very effectively supported because their needs are understood and they, too, make excellent progress.
• Teaching is very successful because of the strength of the staff team. Adults record children’s progress regularly using a tablet-computer-based system and use the information to plan the ‘next steps’. The system enables them to communicate easily with parents and share up-to-date information about their children’s achievements and progress.
• Children are keen to try things out and are encouraged to make their own choices from the different activities. Staff also make sure that they have a full range of experiences and start to learn the basics of reading, writing and mathematics.
• Children’s progress is particularly good in relation to speech and language skills. Those who speak English as an additional language learn key words quickly so that they can communicate with adults and children. They rapidly become able to hold a conversation with adults and other children.
• In both indoor and outdoor areas activities focus strongly on fun activities which support English and mathematics. Children are helped to acquire a wide vocabulary and use their speaking skills to explain what they are doing and why, for example when counting or sorting objects in mathematics.
• Children enjoy books and stories. Lively phonics teaching gives them a very secure foundation in both reading and writing. The records in their learning journeys show how they use their skills in different activities such as telling or illustrating the stories in the books they have read.
• The early years phase leader has an excellent grasp of priorities. She knows what has been achieved and wants to build further on the way in which indoor and outdoor areas are used to help children develop and improve their basic skills. The phase leader checks carefully on the quality of teaching and how well children are learning. She uses this information to ensure that staff receive high-quality professional development which enables them to improve their skills, for example in teaching comprehension skills.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 100564 Lambeth 10031824 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. 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 555 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Sarah Davies Andrew Terrey 020 87646414 www.grantonprimary.org.uk aterrey@grantonprimary.org.uk Date of previous inspection 13–14 June 2013

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• Most pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds with many nationalities being represented in the school. Many pupils who join the school in the Nursery or Reception classes speak English as an additional language.
• About a quarter of all pupils join the school later than is usual. Many of these pupils also speak English as an additional language.
• In the early years, Nursery children attend either full time or for two and a half days a week. In Reception all children attend full time.
• The school runs its own breakfast club.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is similar to that found in most primary schools. The proportion of pupils who are considered to be disadvantaged is much higher than in most primary schools.
• The school met the government’s floor standards in 2016, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ progress and attainment in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors visited all classes during the inspection, some as part of a learning walk and others for a longer period of time. Several observations and learning walks were undertaken jointly with senior staff.
• Meetings were held with the school council, a group of pupils from key stage 1 and a group from key stage 2. Other pupils spoke with inspectors during lessons; inspectors also listened to a number of pupils reading.
• Inspectors held meetings with the chair of the governing body, school staff, including the special educational needs coordinator, the phase leaders and subject leaders for English and mathematics.
• Inspectors took account of 117 responses to Parent View (Ofsted’s online survey) and the school’s own surveys of parents and spoke informally with several parents.
• Inspectors reviewed a range of documents, including records of pupils’ work; the school data on progress; school improvement planning; leaders’ checks on the quality of teaching; external checks on the quality of education; and records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.

Inspection team

Grace Marriott, lead inspector David Lloyd Kusum Trikha Sam Hainey

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector