Deer Park School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Create more opportunities for pupils to apply their reasoning skills in mathematics so that an even higher proportion achieve greater depth.
• Further develop middle leadership roles so that the school is fully prepared to sustain its outstanding quality of provision during its expansion.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• The headteacher is an inspirational leader and an excellent role model for her staff. She has worked tirelessly since her appointment in March 2015 to create the conditions in which outstanding learning is the norm for every child. As a result, pupils from different backgrounds flourish when they join the school. No stone is left unturned in providing pupils with an outstanding education.
• Leaders regularly check the quality of teaching. Leaders are very skilled teachers themselves. They encourage staff to share strategies that work and arrange additional training when required. Leaders record and analyse pupils’ progress meticulously and look carefully at pupils’ work. This provides them with a clear picture of how well all pupils are doing, including those who join the school speaking little or no English.
• Pupils enjoy the wide range of curricular activities offered. Work in ‘topic books’ and displays around the school show the breadth of subjects taught. Pupils regularly design, make and paint artefacts, thus developing their creative talents. Teachers encourage pupils to make links between subjects and to develop their literacy and numeracy skills across the curriculum. As a result, pupils transfer their good-quality writing skills into other subjects.
• Leaders’ unswerving commitment to inclusion is evident in their work to ensure that disadvantaged pupils, and those who have SEN and/or disabilities, make excellent progress. Leaders track the progress of these pupils very carefully and regularly review the impact of the pupil premium and SEN funding. Leaders ensure that vulnerable pupils receive appropriate interventions and successfully identify and remove potential barriers to learning. As a result, these pupils continue to grow in confidence and make very strong progress.
• The sports premium is used to excellent effect. Leaders ensure that physical education (PE) is a strength and pupils benefit from the high-quality provision, for example swimming lessons for every child, starting from the Reception Year. The physical education and sports coach provides high-quality learning experiences for pupils, and useful insights into effective teaching techniques for staff. The range of clubs, decided in consultation with pupils and parents, is extensive. Pupils speak highly of the opportunities provided in sports, music and performing arts.
• Parents are very positive about the quality of education provided by the school. Most parents responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View. Many said that initially they felt the school was an ‘unknown quantity’ and were a little ‘apprehensive’ when offered a place. Now, however, they could not think of a better place to educate their child. Among the strengths they identified are the ‘strong bond’ between home and school; the high level of care; and the way any concerns are dealt with promptly.
• The school is expanding year on year. In anticipation of this, leaders have begun to develop middle leadership roles. Good progress has been made; nevertheless, leaders are clear that this is a critical area to get right as the school commences its key stage 2 phase.

Governance of the school

• The trust board and local governing body are committed to ensuring that pupils receive an outstanding education. They have a secure understanding of published data and the progress information provided by the school.
• Governors meet regularly to discuss the work of the school and receive comprehensive information from the headteacher and her team. This provides them with a clear view of how well the school is achieving. They ask probing questions in meetings and are not afraid to challenge leaders when needed. For example, governors challenged leaders when learning reviews indicated that fewer girls were achieving greater depth in mathematics compared to boys. Leaders responded well to this challenge, resulting in gaps in achievement between boys and girls diminishing rapidly this year.
• Governors monitor all aspects of the management of the school’s finances effectively, including the use of additional funding such as the pupil premium. They have provided outstanding support to the school, not least in ensuring that the temporary site is fit for purpose.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• There is a strong culture of safeguarding within the school. The designated leader ensures that effective policies and procedures are in place to keep pupils safe. Staff undertake regular training and records are up to date.
• Pupils are taught how to keep safe and they trust adults at the school to look after them. Pupils are knowledgeable about the school’s systems, for example the use of colour-coded lanyards representing different types of visitor to the school. When pupils experience difficult situations, the school works effectively with families and external agencies to ensure that they get the best possible support.
• Appointments are made following safer recruitment guidance. New staff receive comprehensive safeguarding training on arrival at the school, which includes the ‘Prevent’ duty and child sexual exploitation.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

• Pupils’ outstanding progress is due to consistently effective teaching which engages and challenges them. Quality teaching ensures that pupils enjoy learning, take pride in their work and persevere.
• Teachers are very skilful in planning lessons which meet the needs of pupils of different abilities. Teachers have strong subject knowledge and apply the school’s assessment and feedback policy consistently well. Regular checks are made by teachers and support staff during lessons to ensure that pupils understand the work set and are making strong progress.
• Teachers take care to establish pupils’ starting points and structure lessons to increase pupils’ knowledge, deepen their understanding and increase their skills. This is evident, for example, in the way pupils acquire phonic skills and develop increasing confidence in using them in reading and writing. Similarly, pupils respond well to the challenge of instantly recalling number facts as they tackle mathematical problems.
• Teachers use questioning effectively to probe the understanding of all pupils. The most able pupils respond to the challenge of gaining deeper insights that reinforce and enhance their understanding and skills. Pupils with SEN and/or disabilities are also challenged to think through problems using helpful resources. As a result, both groups of pupils make rapid progress across the curriculum.
• Writing is taught extremely well. Teachers provide regular opportunities for pupils to practise their handwriting, grammar, spelling and punctuation skills in structured sessions. Teachers model writing for different purposes effectively and pupils are very eager to apply this learning. All pupils present their work neatly and English books demonstrate excellent progress over time.
• Mathematics activities are well planned for pupils of different ability levels. The most able are challenged well and higher-level work is constantly provided. Good support is provided for pupils who need to catch up quickly, either through equipment or from teaching assistants. Problem-solving activities are incorporated regularly to allow pupils to apply the skills they have learned; for example, strategies to compare how much water can be held by containers of a different size.
• Pupils’ reasoning skills in mathematics are not fully embedded; for example, by ensuring that teachers give pupils more opportunities to explain their thinking or demonstrate how they reached their answers.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Leaders promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development very effectively. The school’s ‘HEART’ values underpin the ethos within the school and mesh very well with British values. These are reinforced in lessons, assemblies and through prominent displays. As a result, pupils understand these values and make a strong contribution to the vibrant atmosphere that prevails in Deer Park School.
• Pupils gain a deep level of understanding, appreciation and respect for each other and for people from other countries and with different beliefs. Pupils are actively encouraged to socialise at playtimes, work together in lessons and develop their appreciation of the arts and music. Pupils’ high levels of participation in the school’s very rich and extensive extra-curricular programme demonstrates the success of this strategy.
• Adults provide high levels of nurture and support for all pupils. Leaders and staff ensure that pupils are very well supported when they have emotional difficulties. This is especially helpful for pupils who are the most vulnerable.
• Leaders ensure that pupils feel very safe on this temporary site. Pupils know that they can talk to an adult if they are concerned about anything. They have excellent, age- appropriate knowledge about risks and how to avoid them. Visits from emergency services, together with personal, social, and health education lessons, inform pupils about personal safety issues. Consequently, pupils have a well-developed understanding about road, water and internet safety.
• Teachers ensure pupils understand about the harmful effects of bullying and promote a range of strategies for pupils to use if they are at risk of being bullied. Pupils are confident that they know how to challenge bullying behaviour if it were to occur, and that they can go to a member of staff for help if necessary. Pupils say that bullying of any type is extremely rare in the school.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• Pupils and parents are immensely proud of their school, describing it as very welcoming and caring. This is reflected in pupils’ excellent motivation to learn and thirst for knowledge and deeper understanding.
• Pupils behave exceptionally well in and around school. They are very polite and well-mannered and show genuine respect for adults and each other. Pupils say that behaviour is excellent, and their parents agree.
• Pupils have a very good understanding of the school’s behaviour policy. They are positive about the school’s systems of rewards and sanctions and work hard to give of their best. Excellent support systems are in place for any pupil who occasionally finds it hard to meet the high expectations.
• Attendance is above average and persistence absence is extremely low. Some parents have noted in the online questionnaire how much their children enjoy school, to the extent that sometimes they seem reluctant to go home.

Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

• Pupils make exceptional progress across the curriculum due to consistently effective teaching. As a result, by the end of Year 2, pupils achieve secure standards in most subjects and above-average standards in English and mathematics.
• Pupils get off to a strong start in the early years and quickly learn letters and their sounds. This enables them to break down new and tricky words. Outcomes in phonics by the end of Year 1 were above average in 2017 and are equally strong this year.
• Pupils are confident in using their good-quality writing skills in other subjects, for example recounting events in history and evaluating a design in technology. The most able pupils are constantly pushed to dig deeper and apply a range of tools to extend their writing. As a result, they step up to the challenge, flourish and make excellent progress.
• Many pupils are avid readers. Increasingly, they draw inferences from the text and read with expression. These skills are taught very effectively and become stronger over time. As a result, the majority of pupils reach above-average standards in reading by the end of Year 2.
• Teachers ensure that pupils make excellent progress in science. Pupils’ skills in observing, investigating, analysing and predicting are apparent in their well-presented science work. Very recently, pupils developed their skills by taking part in a science fair where they posed scientific questions and set up tests to investigate them.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities benefit from skilled support, both for their academic achievement and personal development. The school’s records indicate that they typically make good, and often rapid, progress towards their individual targets. Similarly, the progress of pupils who speak English as an additional language is strong. This is due to effective teaching which takes their starting points into account.
• Pupils of all abilities make strong progress in developing their mathematical skills. For example, pupils’ books show rapid progress in using different operations to solve a range of word problems.
• Although pupils’ reasoning skills in mathematics are improving rapidly, they are not yet fully embedded. As a result, some pupils need further support from leaders and teachers to ensure that they reach the greater depth of which they are capable.

Early years provision Outstanding

• Most children enter Reception with social, communication and physical skills which are typical of their age group. Teachers ensure that most children, including those from vulnerable groups, make rapid progress. As a result, almost all children achieve a good level of development and many exceed it across a range of learning areas. There has been a strong upward trend of improvement in children’s outcomes in the early years since the school was established three years ago. This indicates that children are very well prepared for learning as they enter Year 1.
• The highly effective work of the leadership in the early years is evident in the stimulating learning environment and curriculum. Children respond with great enthusiasm to the wealth of indoor and outdoor activities. They enjoy activities using extensive resources, such as constructing with planks and blocks, experimenting with equipment in water trays, measuring in the mud kitchen, or buying and selling in the ‘market’.
• Teaching staff support children’s learning very effectively. They promote children’s social development well, encouraging them to share and take turns. Every opportunity is taken to engage children in conversation and to extend their vocabulary. As a result, children rapidly develop their speaking and listening skills, which prepares them well to write more effectively.
• By the end of Reception, most children can read and understand simple sentences. They use their phonic knowledge to write their own sentences, spelling most familiar words correctly and making good attempts at new ones. Teachers also promote children’s number skills successfully through a wide range of activities; this improves children’s skills in halving or doubling numbers under 20.
• Children’s relationships with adults are excellent. Children behave very well and develop a good degree of independence. They become confident, creative and persevering learners. The sensitive guidance of adults helps children to understand that their actions have consequences. As a result, they are very cooperative and work well in a calm and purposeful atmosphere. Staff are well trained in promoting children’s safety.
• Due to the efforts of staff, parents are closely involved in their children’s learning. For example, some of the learning that takes place at home is captured in the children’s journals. Parents value the information they receive about their children’s progress.

School details

Unique reference number 142012 Local authority Richmond Upon Thames Inspection number 10048362 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 Academy free school 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 79 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Claire Delaney Alison Colenso 020 83534248 www.deerparkschool.org.uk info@deerparkschool.org.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• This is a small primary free school which opened in Richmond upon Thames in September 2015 for children aged four to 11 years old.
• Deer Park is one of seven free schools managed by the Bellevue Place Education Trust (BPET). BPET has set up a local governing body to provide ongoing support and challenge to the school.
• The school aims to ‘stimulate and inspire each child, develop their interests and equip them with lifelong learning skills’.
• The school opened with one class of 30 children in September 2015. Currently, there is one class of 30 children in the Reception Year, and 49 pupils in key stage 1. The school is currently housed in temporary premises. It is planned that the school will move into its permanent, purpose-built premises in September 2019. The school is expected to continue to grow and reach its full capacity of 420 pupils, comprising two forms of entry.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is well below the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is lower than that found nationally.
• Around 40% of the pupils are of White British heritage and one third are of Any Other White background. Many pupils speak English as an additional language.
• The headteacher has been in post since March 2015.
• This is the school’s first full inspection.

Information about this inspection

• The inspector observed pupils’ learning in all classes. All lessons were observed jointly with the headteacher or the assistant headteacher.
• The inspector looked at work in pupils’ books and listened to pupils read. He talked to a group of pupils to gain their views of the school. The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour at breaktime and lunchtime, as well as in lessons.
• The inspector looked at a range of documentation, including assessments and records of pupils’ attainment, the school’s checks and records related to safeguarding, behaviour and attendance, records of governors’ activities, records of how teaching is managed and the school’s own self-evaluation and improvement plans.
• The inspector held meetings with the headteacher and other staff. He also met with the chair of the governing body and the chief executive officer of the trust board. The inspector held a meeting with the school’s improvement partner, who is employed by the local authority.
• The inspector talked to parents at the start of the school day and considered the views of the 46 parents who completed the Ofsted online questionnaire. The inspector also gave due consideration to the 15 responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire.

Inspection team

Nasim Butt, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector