Plaistow Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Develop the way in which the leaders promote effective teaching by:
  • ensuring that teachers make more effective use of the information about pupils’ attainment to plan well-targeted activities
  • ensuring that expectations of the quality of children’s work and presentation are high in all subjects
  • sharing examples of effective practice more widely across the school.
  • Raise achievement in writing by ensuring that teachers use the checks they make on pupils’ progress to carefully plan lessons which build on pupils’ previous knowledge and skills. 


Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The school is held in high regard by staff, parents, carers and pupils. The headteacher promotes a very caring community atmosphere and works with other leaders to maintain a culture of excellent behaviour.
• The leadership team is working hard to improve the quality of teaching and learning. Senior and middle leaders make good use of lesson observations and their analysis of pupils’ work to check the impact of teaching on pupils’ progress. An effective training programme is carefully matched to staff needs and to the priorities in the school development plan. Leaders take appropriate and swift actions to address any weak teaching.
• Leaders ensure that the curriculum provides pupils with a clear purpose for learning. The cross-curricular links between subjects such as English, science, history, geography, art, and design and technology make learning interesting and engaging. Pupils enjoy regular educational visits to places of interest, including museums and galleries, linked well to their learning in class. Most pupils regularly attend clubs before and after school, enjoying a wide range of activities in a safe environment. One parent, representing the views of others, said, ‘The extra-curricular provision of music, arts and sports in particular, is excellent.’
• Pupils are proud of their achievements and the school. The school’s excellent work to promote their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is evident in the curriculum and every other aspect of the school’s life.
• British values are promoted well. Pupils develop a secure understanding of democracy when electing members of the school and learning councils. They have a strong sense of fairness and tolerance. Numerous charity events encourage pupils to consider their responsibilities for others. Pupils said that they ‘learn right from wrong, and to treat others as you would want to be treated’.
• Leaders use additional funding to meet the needs of pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities well. Programmes to help these pupils are planned carefully. When necessary, specialist advice and guidance from external providers are sought to ensure that staff meet and understand pupils’ needs fully.
• The pupil premium is spent effectively on the very high proportion of eligible pupils so that this group makes good progress in line with others. For example, leaders and teachers make sure that eligible pupils receive individual help in reading and mathematics when they need it.
• Leaders ensure that the primary sport premium is spent well. The funding has raised the profile of sports, and has increased participation in sports events, competitions and after-school sports activities.
• Leaders have not ensured that teaching is fully effective in using information about pupils’ attainment to plan work that is well matched to their needs. Additionally, the most effective practice as seen during the inspection has not been shared widely across the school.

Governance of the school

• Governors are knowledgeable, work effectively to fulfil their responsibilities and are ambitious for the pupils. They are clear about the priorities for the school and are aware of its strengths and weaknesses. They have a good understanding of the quality of teaching and know how well pupils are doing. They support the headteacher in robustly challenging any areas of poor performance.
• Governors check that funding is used well, evaluating the impact of the additional government funding for particular groups of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those who have SEN and/or disabilities.
• Governors receive accurate reports from the headteacher and school leaders about how well pupils are performing. As a result, they have an accurate picture of how pupils’ progress and attainment compare with other schools. Governors keep their training up to date and fulfil their statutory duties effectively, including with regard to safeguarding procedures, which are consistently checked.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• There is a strong culture of safeguarding within the school. Staff know the pupils and their families well and do their best to ensure that their needs are met and that they are kept safe. For example, pupils who spoke to inspectors explained how and why they need to be safe on the internet.
• A team of very experienced staff work diligently to ensure that any referrals are tracked and responded to by the local authority. The school keeps meticulous records and provides good support to pupils when needed.
• Staff are subject to rigorous checks about their suitability to work with children before being employed by the school. Staff and governors have been trained in safeguarding and in keeping children safe from the risks of extremism and radicalisation. Senior leaders and governors are clear about what to do if an allegation is made against a member of staff.
• Regular internal audits ensure that the school maintains a safe environment. Some staff are fully trained in first aid and fire safety. Potential risks are evaluated thoroughly before school trips. Consequently, pupils say that they are well cared for. Parents agree that their children are looked after well.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teaching in the school is now good, and as a result pupils make good progress across the school. Staff are knowledgeable and show imagination in their approach to teaching. Pupils, whatever their starting point, respond enthusiastically because teachers design activities that engage them and deepen their knowledge through active participation.
• Teachers and teaching assistants work very closely together and have time allocated for planning. This ensures that all adults have a very clear and shared understanding of the purpose of the planned learning.
• Positive relationships in the classroom inspire learning. A group of children told the inspectors: ‘Our teachers help us become better at what we are learning so that we achieve more every day.’
• Teachers’ strong questioning results in pupils explaining their understanding well. For example, in mathematics, pupils in Year 5 explained why the word problems they were tackling required two processes before deriving an answer. In literacy, pupils in Year 6 spoke confidently about the skills they were applying in making inferences in order to understand the text they were reading.
• Pupils’ good progress in reading and in mathematics reflects the good teaching they receive. Progress in writing is less consistent because teachers do not use assessment information and plan work on pupils’ previous learning.
• The teaching of phonics is highly effective, so pupils quickly understand the links between letters and the sounds they make. Expectations are high and staff persevere to ensure that pupils do as well as possible.
• Pupils who qualify for pupil premium funding are well supported in key stage 1 so that they do not fall behind. In key stage 2, teachers use the information they have about pupils’ strengths and gaps to make sure that those who need it are helped to catch up.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities benefit from skilled support. Teaching assistants work as part of an effective team. They stimulate learning, provide reassurance and help pupils to think for themselves. All pupils have a detailed long-term learning plan, broken down into small steps. Teachers and support staff use these effectively during lessons and small-group work.
• Some inconsistencies in teaching remain, for example in teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve and in the quality of presentation of their work.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Pupils from all backgrounds thrive in this inclusive school. The vast majority of pupils are confident, self-aware and happy to talk to adults about their school and their learning. Older pupils play with younger ones at breaktimes, modelling how to play well. Trained play leaders talk to anyone who might be on their own or feeling sad. Pupils study different faiths and religions, and assemblies are used to promote equality and to tackle discrimination. Pupils value each other and do not have discriminatory attitudes when making friendships. Pupils are respectful of all their peers and staff.
• Staff work exceptionally well to develop pupils’ self-esteem, self-confidence and self- awareness. Thus, pupils’ readiness to learn is quickly established and they become increasingly positive about what education can provide them. They celebrate their own and others’ successes.
• Pupils value the different ways they are able to develop leadership skills. These include helping each other in and outside the classroom and taking part in school council meetings, where ideas about how to improve the school are discussed.
• Pupils understand that there are different types of bullying. They can explain why bullying is wrong. School records show that bullying of any type is very rare, but that if it does happen, it is swiftly and effectively dealt with, and pupils and parents agree that this is the case.
• Staff successfully promote the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils through the curriculum and a wide range of activities. They develop pupils’ understanding of themselves, modern Britain and the wider world. They enjoy this aspect of their education very much.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• Pupils are very polite and extremely welcoming to visitors to the school. They show enormous respect to all members of staff and clearly try to give of their very best in lessons. Pupils say, ‘We have rules which help to keep us safe and happy.’

• The rates of absence and persistent absence are much lower than the national averages. As a result of better attendance, pupils are now able to make much faster academic progress.
• School records indicate very few incidents of misbehaviour in recent years. Records also show that when individual pupils need additional support, the school responds very quickly and positively to provide it.
• Behaviour is consistently good around the school, in classrooms, during transitions and on the playground. Pupils have a positive attitude to learning, and generally maintain their concentration throughout lessons. Very occasionally, when they become distracted and their rates of progress slow, positive relationships between the staff and pupils help them get back on track quickly and effectively.
• Pupils fulfil a wide range of responsibilities diligently, for example when helping and participating in assemblies. Pupils are proud of being part of this school community.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Inspection evidence confirms the school’s assessment information, showing that current pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.
• In 2018, provisional results show that pupils’ attainment at the end of key stage 2 was in line with the national average, which represents good progress from their starting points. Work seen in books, discussions with pupils and the school’s own data show that the majority of the current Year 6 pupils are on track to meet the standards that are expected of them. This also shows good progress and the positive impact that effective teaching and high expectations are having.
• Leaders acknowledge that there is still work to do to improve pupils’ writing so that it is as good as their reading and mathematics. Pupils’ reading is very strong, with most making effective progress during their time at school.
• Whereas in the past a lower proportion of Year 6 pupils than found nationally reached the higher standard, this is now improving, particularly in reading and mathematics.
• The progress made by pupils who qualify for pupil premium funding is similar to that of others pupils. Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities also make good progress from their starting points. This reflects the school’s success in helping pupils to overcome barriers to learning.
• Nearly all Year 1 pupils reached the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check in 2018, including disadvantaged pupils and those who have SEN and/or disabilities. In Years 1 and 2, pupils confidently sound out unfamiliar words and make predictions about what these words might mean by looking at the context of the sentence as a whole.
• Almost all parents responding to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, agree that their children are taught well and make good progress.

Early years provision Good

• In 2018, the proportion of children reaching and exceeding a good level of development by the end of their time in Reception was above average. This represents strong achievement in relation to children’s starting points and shows that they are very well prepared for learning in Year 1.
• The skilled leadership of early years is seen in the well-planned curriculum, which provides children with stimulating and demanding experiences and helps them learn well. Leaders demonstrate a very comprehensive understanding of the strengths of the provision. They lead the team of teachers and assistants effectively to make sure that children in the early years are especially well cared for.
• The most effective teaching is seen in effective questioning and support for children, both during work led by adults and when they choose activities for themselves, and in good use of subject knowledge so that children learn letters and sounds quickly. However, teaching of this quality and high expectations are not yet found consistently across the setting.
• The indoor and outdoor areas are vibrant and stimulate children’s learning. For example, the theme of ‘All about us’ allowed children in the Nursery and Reception to engage in a wide range of activities and encouraged them to talk about themselves.
• Adults provide high-quality support for children who have SEN and/or disabilities. These children make good progress from their starting points, particularly with their personal and social skills.
• Children demonstrate sensible behaviour at all times. They are considerate to each other, for example when working in pairs to match numbers and create patterns. Children are confident learners, happily asking and answering questions, which further their understanding of the world around them. The warmth and clear desire to help each other learn, strongly promoted by staff, significantly enhance the children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
• Staff work hard to engage parents in their child’s learning. They give families activities to complete at home and encourage the children to read with parents. Staff work particularly well with parents who are new to the school so that they understand the importance of children coming to school regularly.
• Safeguarding is effective. All welfare requirements are fully met. All staff are vigilant in ensuring that the environment is safe. They are well qualified and receive annual training in safeguarding and child protection.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 132812 Newham 10052642 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 Maintained 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 440 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address June Thomas Janine St Pierre 0208 548 5620 www.plaistow.newham.sch.uk/ info@plaistow.newham.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 1–2 July 2014

Information about this school

• Since the inspection of the school in July 2014, the school has had several changes in staffing and leadership.
• Plaistow Primary School is larger than the average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium is well above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is below the national average. The proportion of pupils who have an education, health and care plan is below the national average.
• A very small number of pupils attend an alternative provision, the Eleanor Smith School.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching and learning in all classrooms, as well as in intervention groups.
• School leaders took part in joint observations with inspectors and attended all inspection team meetings.
• Meetings were held with school leaders, teachers and groups of pupils. Inspectors met with a governor and a representative from the local authority.
• The inspectors worked in partnership with the school’s senior leaders when analysing information about the school. The inspectors looked at pupils’ outcomes, the school’s evaluation of its own performance, minutes from governors’ meetings, the school development plan, and monitoring and evaluation records. Behaviour and attendance records and information relating to safeguarding were also checked.
• The inspectors walked around the school with pupils to find out more about their work from displays and extra-curricular activities. Inspectors also interviewed groups of children from across the school to determine their views on behaviour and safety.
• Inspectors spent time on the playground at playtime, observed behaviour in the lunch halls, listened to pupils reading and looked at work in pupils’ books, alongside senior leaders.
• Inspectors took into account the views of parents by analysing the 40 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, as well as speaking informally to parents during the inspection.
• Inspectors took into account the views of 41 staff who answered the staff survey and 13 pupils who answered the pupil survey.

Inspection team

Danvir Visvanathan, lead inspector Sheila Cohring Kanwaljit Singh

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector