Herbert Morrison Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Ensure that teachers provide further opportunities to challenge the most able so that their attainment consistently matches their excellent progress.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• The leadership of the school has been strengthened since the last inspection. The school’s entry into a soft federation with a group of local schools has helped to secure the necessary improvements.
• The executive headteacher and the head of school relentlessly focus on improving the outcomes of all pupils. As a result, improvements in teaching, assessment and behaviour have been rapid and sustained.
• The school leaders have an accurate picture of the strengths and areas for development. They regularly monitor the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. As a result, incisive actions taken by leaders have remedied the areas for improvement identified in the previous inspection.
• Middle leaders are highly effective. They have high expectations about the quality of teaching across the school. Their support and monitoring has been effective in securing improvements in pupils’ progress and attainment across the curriculum.
• The pupil premium funding is used very efficiently. Funding is reviewed regularly by the senior leadership team and the governors to ensure that it is helping pupils to achieve their full potential. As a result, disadvantaged pupils surpass the achievement of other pupils in the school and differences between their achievement and other pupils nationally are diminishing.
• The highly innovative curriculum is varied and engages pupils’ interest. Teachers work extremely hard to ensure that pupils are enjoying their learning and that they broaden their knowledge of life beyond their own community. Teachers plan work that brings the curriculum to life and develops pupils’ interest and curiosity. For example, in science in Year 6, pupils were studying plate tectonics, and in the Nursery they were carrying out an investigation using high-order scientific vocabulary.
• The local authority provides the school with appropriate support and has an accurate view of the school’s strengths.
• Leaders have used the additional sports funding to increase the range of sports that pupils can participate in and to purchase the appropriate equipment. Professional coaching enhances the school’s physical education curriculum and pupils participate in a range of competitions, including football.
• Pupils are rightly very proud of their school. They are keen to show visitors around and report that they enjoy the wide range of extra-curricular opportunities that the school provides for them. The fact that so many pupils are willing to attend ‘action tutoring’ sessions before school is evidence of how motivated they are to engage in their own learning.
• Pupil achievement is celebrated, both academically and socially. Pupils participate in ‘The Children’s University’ graduation ceremony and are awarded certificates for good progress and behaviour in celebration assemblies. The pupils are particularly proud when they are awarded the ‘caring cup’.
• Parents are kept well informed about how well their children are doing. They receive an annual report and are kept up to date with what their children are learning about in school through the class ‘blogs’.
• Parents’ views about the school are all extremely positive. One parent explained, ‘I am 100% in support of this school whose core values square with my own.’ Governance of the school
• Governance of the school is extremely effective. Governors took decisive action after the last inspection to strengthen the leadership of the school. This has led to rapid and sustained improvements in pupils’ outcomes and in leadership at all levels. They use the information that the school provides for them in the monitoring, evaluating and reporting (MER) system to challenge school leaders about the performance of pupils. As a result, governors have correctly highlighted where there have been any issues and celebrated the rapid improvements.
• Governors have an excellent knowledge of the school’s strengths and they stringently hold leaders to account about all aspects of school life, including pupils’ achievement and school finances.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders have ensured that robust systems are in place to follow up any safeguarding concerns.
• Leaders and governors have ensured that the staff have received appropriate training, including ‘Prevent’ duty training, and fully understand the need to share any concerns about the well-being of pupils. All staff have a good understanding of the system for sharing any concerns and how this is followed up. The head of school is relentless in following up any referrals that are made both internally and with outside agencies. As a result, appropriate support is put in place for pupils and their families.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

• Teaching is of a high quality not only in English and mathematics but also across the curriculum. Teachers and support staff plan learning that not only excites pupils, but also develops their resilience. For example, in key stage 2, inspectors saw pupils solving some challenging mathematics problems.
• Teachers ensure that pupils are provided with challenge and expect them to apply their learning in different contexts. Teachers use probing questions skilfully to elicit pupils’ understanding and extend their thinking. Additional opportunities are needed to ensure that teachers’ planning enables the most able pupils to excel even further and attain at the higher levels.
• There has been a focus on improving pupils’ understanding of number in mathematics. Teachers are using a range of successful strategies in key stage 1 and key stage 2. The impact of this can be seen in the pupils’ books and in what is provided in the mathematics teaching. Consequently, reasoning and problem-solving activities are well developed alongside the basic skills work.
• Pupils read widely and enjoy reading. Reading is taught well from the time they start school. Pupils use a range of strategies to support them and the impact of the phonics teaching could be seen when listening to them read. Improving pupils’ attainment in reading is a result of the focus on improving comprehension skills. The English leader runs a reading club which has enhanced pupils’ reading abilities, in particular the boys’. The leader remarked, ‘I want children to develop a love of reading.’ This enthusiasm is clearly impacting not only on the progress pupils are making in reading, but also on their enjoyment of the subject.
• Pupils are developing their writing skills through a writing project. The books show strong progress since September. Progress in cross-curricular writing is very good. Pupils’ basic skills are developed across a wide range of subjects and current affairs. For example, in history, science and personal, social, health and economic education, pupils in key stage 2 wrote letters in which they had to express empathy. Pupils in Year 6 produced newspaper articles about the refugee crisis in Calais.
• Teaching assistants are deployed well to support specific teaching groups. For example, while the teacher extends the majority of the class, the teaching assistants continue to support their less-able groups to understand basic concepts. As a result, these pupils catch up quickly.
• The teaching within the topic-based curriculum is a particular strength of the school. Leaders and staff have the same high expectations about the quality of work that pupils produce in these lessons as they do in reading, writing and mathematics. Music is very well-developed across the school. Pupils enjoy learning a range of wind and string instruments. The school choir sings in the community, and has also participated in concerts at the O2 and the Lambeth Music Festival.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Pupil welfare is one of the main priorities of the school. Leaders work effectively with other agencies including the local authority and social care when they identify any pupils that may be at risk.
• Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe in school and beyond the school gates. Year 6 pupils have been engaged in a ‘growing against gang violence’ workshop that the school had arranged. The pupils were able to talk confidently about the impact of this in keeping themselves safe outside of school. Parents and pupils are clear that the school is a safe place. They say that bullying is extremely rare, but that when concerns arise, they are dealt with.
• Pupils take pride in their work and books are well presented. The standard of handwriting has improved rapidly since the last inspection. Pupils are given the opportunity to develop resilience through being encouraged to attempt challenges teachers have given them, including the least-able pupils.
• The school has applied for the Unicef Rights Respecting Schools Award. The articles are weaved throughout the curriculum. For example, an African art display was linked to the article, ‘We have a right to an education and to learn new things.’

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Pupils show a very good awareness of the expectations that leaders and their peers have of their behaviour. This was seen during lunchtime when a key stage 1 pupil reminded his peers about how to stand sensibly to wait for lunch.
• Behaviour both in the classrooms and during breaktimes is of a high standard. Pupils have responded well to the new ‘good to be green’ behaviour system. Pupils report that since the system was introduced, behaviour has improved. The system was seen being used highly effectively in the classrooms.
• Around the school, both in the classrooms and during breaktimes, pupils behave in a calm and respectful manner both towards each other and any adults that they come into contact with.
• Older pupils are keen to be role models for their peers. They are extremely proud when they are nominated as both peer mediators and school council representatives. They understand what an important role they play in ensuring that all pupils are made to feel part of the school community. One of the peer mediators excitedly came to speak to the inspection team to share what she loves about her role.
• Leaders have established a robust system of attendance and follow-up. Absence is followed up on day one, and the school engages with the education welfare officer where there are concerns about pupils’ attendance. As a result, attendance has improved so that it is now above the national average.

Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

• Pupils’ achievement is outstanding, including for those who are disadvantaged. Over half of the pupils join the school with skills that are lower than those typical for their age. Assessment results at the end of key stage 1 have been above average in the past and remain so for 2016. By the time pupils leave the school at the end of Year 6, their attainment in reading and mathematics is well above the national average and above average in writing.
• Outcomes are outstanding in all year groups, in both attainment and progress in learning. The school’s own assessment information confirms this and it is also evident in pupils’ books across the curriculum.
• Pupils make excellent progress in the early years. Children start their time in the school with skill levels below those typical for their age. By the time they enter key stage 1, the proportion of children with a good level of development is above national average and they are well prepared for the next stage in their education.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good and often outstanding progress. In 2016 the progress of these pupils was in the top 10% of schools nationally in mathematics and reading. This progress is a result of the school intervention team’s regular and effective review of the support that is in place. The school has a positive partnership with speech and language specialists. This partnership ensures that teachers have good strategies to support those pupils in the classroom who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• There is no difference in the achievement of boys and girls. This is because of the impact of the improved strategies in assessment and monitoring of all groups of pupils across the school.
• The progress made by pupils that are in receipt of pupil premium funding is outstanding. In 2015/2016, progress made by the end of key stage 2 for disadvantaged pupils was in the top 10% of pupils nationally in reading and mathematics. School information shows that current disadvantaged pupils are also making progress that is strong, and in some cases stronger than the progress of non-disadvantaged pupils within the school, as a result of highly-detailed and effective targeting of pupils.
• The high-quality teaching and assessment practices in the school are ensuring that the most able pupils make at least good progress. However, not enough of them attain beyond age-related expectations, particularly in mathematics and writing.

Early years provision Outstanding

• The skills and knowledge of children when they join the Nursery or Reception are below, and sometimes well below, those typical for their age. They make outstanding progress because leaders are passionate about meeting the children’s needs. Leaders plan and deliver a rich curriculum that develops the children’s skills and knowledge quickly.
• ‘The pursuit of excellence’ is how the early years leader described his role. As a result of these high expectations and good awareness of the children’s needs in the setting, the outcomes at the end of the early years are now above the national average when they have previously been below.
• Adults are highly skilled at involving pupils in all aspects of the curriculum. This is achieved as a result of the indoor and outdoor learning environments being vibrant and engaging learning spaces for children.
• The school’s involvement in the local authority ‘Natural Thinkers’ project has led to the children being involved in growing their own food, landscaping their outdoor area and creating art projects. Wide-ranging skills have been developed as a result of this project, including investigation, communication, speaking and listening and collaboration.
• Phonics teaching in the early years is strong. Pupils are grouped by ability in the Reception classes. Teaching is appropriate to the level of need. Therefore, activities in these sessions encourage repetition and successfully consolidate learning and challenge for the most able children in the setting.
• Parents from the early years and key stage 1 attend useful family learning sessions that are planned by the school. Parents and children learn alongside each other in these sessions. The sessions have been designed to give parents ideas to extend their children’s learning outside of the classroom.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 100604 Lambeth 10019651 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 205 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Owain Thomas Christopher Toye (Executive Headteacher) Lucy Peake (Head of School) Telephone number 020 77203439 Website Email address www.herbertmorrisonprimaryschool.co.uk admin@herbertmorrison.lambeth.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 18–19 November 2014

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• Herbert Morrison is an average-sized primary school.
• There are currently nine classes in the school, with one class per year group, except in Year 6 which has two classes.
• The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic heritage groups is well above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well above the national average.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium is well above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is in line with the national average.
• The school meets the government floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress by the end of Year 6.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning in all classes across the school from Nursery through to Year 6. They also carried out a number of learning walks. Most of the observations of learning were with the executive headteacher and the head of school.
• Meetings were held with pupils, senior leaders, middle leaders, a representative of the local authority and five governors, including the chair and vice-chair of the governing body.
• Inspectors scrutinised a range of pupils’ work, including evidence from their topic books. Inspectors also heard pupils read, observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons, around the school and at breaktimes.
• Inspectors considered the views of parents, taking into account the 11 responses on the online parent questionnaire, Parent View, and in discussions with them in the playground. Inspectors also considered the free text question responses submitted by parents and the 26 questionnaires completed by staff.
• Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation, including the school’s safeguarding records, behaviour and attendance information, minutes of the governing body and evaluation of its work and plan for further improvement. Inspectors also considered records made by the local authority following visits made by its representatives.

Inspection team

Shelley Davies, lead inspector Martin Roberts

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector