Jubilee Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment by ensuring that:
  • the best practice in the school, which leads to pupils making rapid progress, is shared in all classes
  • tasks set meet the needs of the most able pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, so that they make rapid progress in reading and mathematics
  • actions taken by leaders and teachers continue to diminish the differences between the attainment and progress of girls and boys.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Since the previous inspection, leaders and governors have used the support from the federation, the cluster and the local authority well. They have successfully improved all aspects of the school’s work and have made good progress with the areas for improvement that were identified at the time of the previous inspection.
• The headteacher and the deputy headteacher have a thorough understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. Current action plans focus on the right priorities to move the school forward.
• The headteacher has worked tirelessly to sustain a strong, stable workforce. She has eradicated poor teaching and has recruited enthusiastic, skilful staff who are reflective and seek to continually improve their skills. As a result of good professional development along with rigorous performance management, teaching across the school has improved and is now good. Leaders make accurate judgements about the quality of teaching. They challenge and support teachers effectively.
• Leaders throughout the school understand the impact they have as leaders, and know precisely what they need to do next to further improve provision for pupils.
• Leaders ensure that funding for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is spent well. Pupils benefit from provision which meets their needs and enables them to make good progress.
• Outcomes for pupils have improved and are continuing to improve. Effective assessment and tracking systems have been put in place by leaders, which help teachers to pinpoint accurately pupils’ next steps in learning.
• Staff are proud and happy to work at Jubilee. Like the pupils that they care so much about, staff are friendly and welcoming, and proud of their achievements. Newly qualified teachers feel that they are extremely well supported by leaders. Teaching assistants know that they are valued by teachers, leaders and pupils. This adds to the strong sense of community which exists within the school.
• The school prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain. Leaders have high expectations and ensure that all pupils learn about religions and beliefs which are different from their own. Pupils are given roles and responsibilities which they take extremely seriously and dutifully.
• The school’s curriculum is broad and balanced and gives a sharp and appropriate emphasis to reading, writing and mathematics. High-quality literature is used well as a stimulus for writing activities. This has contributed to the good progress seen in pupils’ books. The school has recently invested in a reading scheme with fine-tuned levels of progression, which helps teachers to select texts at the right level for developing readers. The impact of this can already be seen in the speedy progress that pupils in key stage 1 are currently making in their reading. It is too early to see the impact of this on the progress of the most able readers in key stage 2.
• The school provides a wide range of opportunities which promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils are sociable in lessons and in the playground. In a Year 2 mathematics lesson, pupils were seen chatting happily about their work and then gently encouraging each other to take on the ‘challenge’ task. In the playground, pupils take turns with equipment and share well. Music is a great strength of the school. Key stage 1 pupils learn to play the violin and the school’s choirs perform at events across London. Pupils benefit from a range of trips and visits. For example, Year 6 pupils enjoy visits to the theatre.
• The funding for disadvantaged pupils is used effectively to provide additional teaching sessions and specific ‘catch-up’ interventions. Leaders and governors evaluate the impact of these interventions by looking at the progress pupils make. They are currently in the process of identifying which interventions provide the best value for money in terms of the impact that they have.
• Leaders have ensured that the physical education and sport premium funding has been spent wisely to increase the range of after-school and lunchtime sports clubs on offer and to improve the quality of teaching of physical education across the school. The funding has also meant that pupils have had the opportunity to enter inter-school sports competitions.
• The majority of parents are highly positive about the work of the school. Parents receive good guidance about how to support their children with reading at home. They also benefit from workshops and events, such as the regular coffee morning when parents with pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are given guidance and support.
• Leaders have taken effective action to improve punctuality and they have good systems in place to monitor attendance, which has improved consistently since 2013. Incidents of exclusion have been significantly reduced this year.

Governance of the school

• Since the previous inspection, governors have continued to work hard to improve their skills in holding the school to account and supporting it to do better. They collectively have a good range of skills to offer the school.
• Governors have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. They work alongside leaders to evaluate all aspects of the school’s work.
• Governors undertake all their statutory duties effectively.
• Procedures for managing the headteacher’s performance and that of teachers are well established.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders’ commitment to keeping children safe underpins the work of the school. Staff are regularly trained and updated about all aspects of safeguarding. Actions taken to safeguard vulnerable children are swift and record-keeping is thorough.
• Leaders are rigorous in seeking external support for vulnerable pupils. They are relentless in their challenge to external agencies and to the local authority to ensure that appropriate action is taken to safeguard their pupils.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The quality of teaching has improved significantly since the previous inspection and is now good. Teachers work hard to plan lessons which motivate pupils and meet their needs. As one pupil put it, ‘Our wonderful teacher makes our learning fun!’
• Guidance given to pupils through marking and feedback in lessons is good. Pupils respond well to marking, which helps move their learning on. Teachers’ feedback to pupils during lessons deepens their understanding and challenges misconceptions. This was evident in key stage 2 English lessons, where teachers’ questioning helped pupils to deepen their understanding of the texts they were reading and use the ideas explored to develop their own writing.
• Assessment and pupil progress tracking systems are well embedded and effective. Teachers are supported by leaders to pinpoint aspects of learning which individuals and groups of pupils need to work on. This helps teachers plan effectively for the needs of the pupils in their class.
• The teaching of phonics is a great strength of the school. Teachers in key stage 1 have excellent subject knowledge and have high expectations of what pupils can achieve. They are insightful and incisive in their approach. They do not shy away from teaching young learners the challenging terminology associated with phonics. Typical of the excellent teaching seen was a Year 1 phonics session where the teacher offered pupils immediate feedback to remind them to use the skills and knowledge that they already have. He then built rapidly on this knowledge. As a result, pupils made very speedy progress during the lesson and were noticeably proud of what they were achieving.
• The teaching of mathematics is good. Teachers plan tasks which meet pupils’ needs and they often provide extra challenges for the most able pupils. For example, in a Year 6 mathematics lesson, pupils were motivated by the ‘Hans Solo’ challenge. While teachers are working hard to increase the challenge for the most able, occasionally tasks set do not effectively challenge them. This limits the progress that they make. One pupil told inspectors that, ‘Some lessons are more challenging than others. It depends if you are familiar with the mathematical concepts.’
• Improving the teaching of reading is a high priority within the school. Leaders recently invested in a new reading scheme which offers a fine-tuned progression of books. This has had an immediate impact on the quality of teaching and the progress pupils make in reading. Pupils at the earliest stages of reading confidently read books which are pitched at the correct level to help them use their developing phonics knowledge. In key stage 2, pupils read texts designed to develop and deepen their understanding. Pupils enjoy reading and see it as important. As one boy put it, ‘It lets your imagination flow and expands your vocabulary’. It is too early to assess the impact of the improvements made to the teaching of reading on the attainment and progress of pupils over time, including the most able pupils.
• Pupils benefit from reading good-quality literature in English lessons which stimulate writing activities. Children at the earliest stages of learning to write are confident to ‘have a go’ and make plausible attempts at spelling words because of the good phonics teaching they have received. Pupils write confidently and at length for a range of purposes and audiences. Teachers go to great lengths to find resources which capture pupils’ interest and inspire them. For example, in a Year 6 lesson, pupils watched a video of American students making speeches to secure votes for an election. The impact of this was later seen in the lively, engaging writing produced by the pupils. Boys and girls produced equally effective pieces of writing during this lesson.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well by teachers and teaching assistants so that they make good progress from various starting points. Pupils who have hearing impairment are integrated well into classrooms. They receive specialist teaching from teachers of deaf people and teaching assistants. An inclusive, supportive ethos pervades the classrooms.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Pupils benefit from warm, firm-but-fair relationships with adults. They respond well to the ‘rights respecting’ ethos of the school. They are polite and show respect to adults and to each other.
• Pupils are divided into different ‘houses’, each represented by an inspirational role model. They enjoy the challenge of winning points for their house through their good learning or their positive behaviour.
• Pupils feel safe at school and their parents agree that they are well cared for. Pupils show a good understanding of keeping themselves safe online. They confidently talk about aspects of safety such as the school fire drills. They are aware of places outside school which are not safe for them to go to.
• Pupils who are vulnerable or at risk of harm are extremely well protected. Leaders and staff are vigilant in ensuring that they are kept safe and that they feel safe.
• Pupils take on roles and responsibilities in the school such as ‘playground angels’ or ‘sports leaders’. They perform these roles well and with pride.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils behave well at playtime, at lunchtime, at breakfast club and as they move around the school. Behaviour in lessons is usually very good, although very occasionally pupils lose focus. When this happens, teachers are highly skilled at remaining positive and capturing their interest again.
• Pupils say that if they have arguments, they try first ‘to resolve them ourselves’. If this does not work, they know that adults in the school will help them. Some pupils said that incidents of bullying are rare and others were not aware of any bullying at all. Incidents leading to exclusion have been reduced significantly this year.
• Pupils attend well and their punctuality has improved since the previous inspection.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Work in books and the school’s own information about how well pupils are doing show that pupils who are currently at the school are making good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Some pupils are making very rapid progress.
• The provisional data for 2016 indicates that the majority of pupils who were in Year 6 left the school with standards at or above age-related expectations in reading, writing and mathematics. Progress in writing and mathematics is above average. Progress in reading is broadly average. Pupils are well prepared for secondary education when they leave the school.
• In 2015, key stage 1 pupils achieved standards which were in line with national averages. Early indications show that standards improved in 2016.
• There were no marked differences between the achievement of disadvantaged pupils and that of other pupils in the school in 2015. The school’s preliminary analysis of the 2016 outcomes shows some differences between the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and that of others. Observation in lessons and work in books show that disadvantaged pupils who are currently in the school are making similar progress to their classmates. Leaders recognise that the most able disadvantaged pupils have not made rapid progress in the past and are still not always making more than expected progress.
• The most able pupils who left the school in 2015 made more than expected progress in writing and mathematics. In reading, they made average progress. Provisional data on the 2016 outcomes shows that the most able pupils achieving a high score in the tests were in line with national averages in mathematics and below average in reading and writing.
• Boys performed less well than girls in the tests at the end of Year 6 for 2015. The school’s provisional data for 2016 shows that differences remained in standards achieved in reading and writing. However, books show that boys and girls who are currently in the school are making similar progress in reading, writing and mathematics. The school’s own information about the progress pupils are making confirms this.
• The proportion of children achieving a good overall level of development by the end of the Reception Year has increased consistently since 2013 and was just below average in 2016. The school has successfully diminished the differences between the outcomes of boys and girls at the end of the Reception Year.
• Attainment in the Year 1 phonics screening check improved in 2016. Differences remained between the attainment of boys and girls. Pupils who are currently in Year 1 are making very rapid progress in this aspect of their learning, and boys and girls are making similar progress.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, including those who have hearing impairment, make good progress. This is as a result of teaching that targets their needs effectively.

Early years provision Good

• The assistant headteacher who leads the early years provision does so with passion and expertise. She has high expectations of staff and children and ensures that everything the children experience during their time in the early years is about learning. No tasks or activities are set without a thorough understanding of what they are designed to help children to know or do. Additional funding for disadvantaged pupils is carefully targeted to ensure that they make good progress during their time in the early years.
• Children start the Nursery and Reception classes with skills and knowledge that are well below those typically seen for their age range. A significant number of children come with early speech and language difficulties which are quickly identified by staff. The provision benefits from strong links with the on-site children’s centre. Staff not only support and work with the children in their care, but also support parents and carers extremely well with guidance on how to help their children with learning.
• From very low starting points, children make good progress and some make outstanding progress over time. As a result, pupils are well prepared for the transition to Year 1. The children who are currently in the early years have settled well to routines and are enjoying their learning. All areas of learning are well planned for and children benefit from a range of adult-led and child-initiated activities.
• Adults are skilled at questioning children to deepen their understanding and they model key vocabulary well. Relationships are warm and supportive. Teaching assistants skilfully encourage children to build their resilience and their ability to stay on task. The strong relationships seen in the early years were typified by a teaching assistant who was helping a child to learn to count to five by enthusiastically singing ‘Five green bottles’, while the child held up the correct number of fingers to match the bottles. The child was making speedy progress with her numbers and at the same time enjoying the adult’s company.
• Children behave well across all classes in the early years. They work and play happily together. They are kept safe and secure.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 133662 Lambeth 10019672 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 433 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Date of previous inspection Mr Nick Toms Mrs Joanna Eade 0208 6786530 www.jubilee.lambeth.sch.uk head@jubilee.lambeth.sch.uk 17–18 September 2014

Information about this school

• Jubilee Primary School is larger than the average-sized primary school.
• The school works in partnership with the Loughborough Federation of Schools and is also part of the Windmill Cluster of Schools.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils who are eligible for pupil premium funding is much larger than average.
• The majority of pupils come from a range of minority ethnic groups. The largest groups are Black or Black British African. The second largest group is Black or Black British Caribbean.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is above average. Pupils who have hearing impairment are fully integrated into the mainstream classes.
• Children in the early years are taught in a full-time Nursery class and two full-time Reception classes.
• The school runs a breakfast club.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress by the end of Year 6.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning in all year groups. Observations were undertaken with the headteacher, the executive headteacher, the deputy headteacher, head of the hearing impairment service and one of the assistant headteachers.
• Inspectors met with members of the governing body.
• Meetings were held with pupils to discuss their learning and their views on the school. Pupils took inspectors on a ‘curriculum tour’ of the school.
• All leaders met with inspectors to discuss their roles and the impact of their work.
• Newly qualified teachers met with inspectors to talk about the support and training they have received.
• Inspectors heard pupils read and talked to pupils in the lunch hall, in lessons, in the breakfast club, and as they moved around the building.
• Inspectors examined a range of school documents, including information on pupils’ progress across the school, improvement plans, curriculum plans and checks on the quality of teaching. They also examined school records relating to safety and behaviour.
• Inspectors scrutinised books to see what progress pupils make.
• Inspectors took account of 47 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, and of information gathered from discussions with parents during the inspection.

Inspection team

Ruth Dollner, lead inspector Shelley Davies Janet Tomkins

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector