Stanley Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Ensure that leaders make efficient use of systems to identify pupils who are underachieving, especially lower-ability pupils and disadvantaged pupils, and give them the right support promptly to catch up.
• Ensure that leaders use regular monitoring of the quality of teaching so that teachers improve their teaching as leaders expect.
• Improve the quality of teaching so that all pupils receive the support and challenge they need to make good progress by ensuring that:
  • teachers recognise and respond helpfully when pupils are ready to move onto more challenging tasks
  • teachers use questions and feedback consistently well to develop pupils’ learning.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management

Requires improvement

• The headteacher was previously the co-headteacher at the time of the last inspection, following the amalgamation of the infant and junior schools. The establishment of the right leadership structure for the larger single school has taken more time than all senior leaders and governors expected. Now in place, leaders have an accurate view of the priorities for improvement across the school. Leaders are enthusiastic and have sound strategies in place, or planned. However, these are at too early a stage to demonstrate impact or give rise to sustained improvements in outcomes for pupils.
• Leaders have not acted swiftly to identify pupils at risk of underachievement. This means that they have not implemented the most effective interventions soon enough to ensure that groups of pupils, especially lower-ability pupils and disadvantaged pupils, make the progress of which they are capable.
• Leaders identify accurately individual teachers’ areas of strength and those needing improvement. However, their judgements of the overall quality of teaching across the school are overgenerous as they have not, until recently, taken into account a wider view of the impact of teaching on pupils’ progress and the work in pupils’ books. Leaders’ feedback to teachers is not followed up vigilantly to ensure that their advice and expectations have been acted upon. New routines of learning walks and regular meetings with senior and year leaders to agree key areas for development are still to be fully embedded. The depth and impact of the monitoring varies across different subject areas.
• Leaders provide teachers with appropriate information and guidance relevant to the school’s key areas for improvement. For example, teachers are becoming more confident in aspects of the mathematics curriculum such as reasoning and problem-solving because of the training they have received.
• Leaders, including governors, have been considerate of individual pupils’ circumstances when deciding on the allocation of the pupil premium funding. While rightly reviewing the impact of the allocation of funds, they are keenly aware of their responsibilities to ensure equality of opportunities for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds to take up opportunities the wide-ranging curriculum has to offer.
• Leaders, including governors, ensure that teachers’ performance management targets reflect appropriately the school’s areas for improvements.
• Pupils appreciate and reflect the school’s values, the Stanley values, because leaders nurture these from the earliest stages. Pupils are clear on ways in which, for example, aspiration, courage, respect and gentleness can be applied to their everyday life. Their respect for each other and their understanding of each other’s differences and difficulties mean that they are well prepared for life in modern Britain.
• The Peartree Centre provides a valuable resource for pupils on the autistic disorder spectrum. Individual pupils receive the level of specialist care and guidance they need to enable them to make good progress academically as well as in developing social skills and confidence. They also benefit from opportunities to attend lessons with their peers in the rest of the school.
• Leaders ensure that the school’s behaviour policy works well so that the behaviour of pupils is good. Leaders, including governors, are alert to any increase in inappropriate patterns of behaviour. If they occur, leaders take appropriate steps, including themed assemblies and communication with parents, to ensure that such incidents do not happen again. Leaders work closely with the local authority to support pupils who have difficulty managing their behaviour in mainstream lessons. Pupils attending a behavioural support group have improved attitudes to their learning and are making progress.
• The curriculum is well planned, promoting spiritual, social, moral and cultural education throughout. Pupils benefit greatly from a wide range of opportunities to develop their skills and knowledge. They speak enthusiastically about regular trips that link in with the topic they are studying. The impact of this is clear when pupils recount their experiences from several years before.
• Pupils enjoy a variety of sporting activities and take part in increasing numbers of competitions. This is possible because of leaders’ well-planned use of the physical education and sports premium, taking into account pupils’ views and requests.
• The school’s communications and relationship with parents are strong and positive. Parents appreciate greatly the headteacher being easy to talk to and taking time to get to know pupils and their families well. Teachers follow his fine example, with parents valuing highly the time that teachers take to keep in regular touch with them, forging close links with home and school to meet the needs of pupils in all aspects of their lives.

Governance of the school

• The governing body is knowledgeable and experienced. Governors draw effectively on their professional backgrounds and training so that they are clear on their roles and responsibilities.
• Governors have an accurate perspective on the aspects of the school that need to be strengthened. Their understanding and analysis of pupils’ outcomes has become more thorough this academic year, alongside careful review of the allocation of the pupil premium funding. Governors are aware that systems to assess the impact of interventions have taken too long to become embedded.
• Governors have rightly challenged leaders on their evaluation of the quality of teaching, given disappointing outcomes for pupils in 2015 and 2016. They are now giving appropriate priority to developing school leadership to establish clearer lines of accountability for the quality of teaching and outcomes across the school.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Safeguarding pupils is of the highest importance for the school. Leaders take necessary steps so that all requirements are met. Records of checks on the suitability of staff are thorough and up to date.
• Leaders, including governors, are mindful of their responsibility to keep pupils safe and secure. They carry out regular safety checks of the school site, paying particular regard to the additional consideration of ongoing building works.
• During the inspection, an unplanned fire drill demonstrated that leaders have fully embedded routines to safeguard all who work in the school. The pupils’ response was impressive. They knew what was expected of them, behaved maturely and responsibly, and calmly looked after each other as they completed the drill promptly, safely and without fuss.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Teachers do not routinely incorporate into their planning challenge that is sufficiently stretching to ensure that all pupils make the progress of which they are capable. Good practice across the school is not sufficiently established or consistent to lead to sustained improvements in pupils’ achievements.
• Pupils’ work in their books and in lessons shows that they regularly do not move onto more complex tasks as swiftly as they should in order to make better progress. Some pupils who spoke to inspectors said that they frequently find their work easy.
• Teachers do not consistently use questioning effectively to deepen and extend pupils’ learning. On occasions, teachers do not readily seize the opportunity for most-able pupils to contribute ideas and move their learning on when they are ready. When teachers use questioning well, pupils develop their use of vocabulary and technical terminology.
• Pupils are attentive and responsive to their teachers. They are keen to learn. They have positive relationships with each other and their teachers, readily sharing ideas and collaborating willingly to improve their work.
• Pupils read regularly in class and at home. Teachers have established routines to enable pupils to practise reading out loud, visit the school library and receive extra help when they need it. On occasions, pupils do not improve their reading as quickly as they should because they do not receive encouragement from their teachers to choose more advanced texts.
• Teachers set homework that enriches pupils’ learning in lessons and develops their research skills. Most parents who completed Parent View, the online survey, agree that their child receives appropriate homework for their age.
• Pupils are able to articulate well what they are learning because of their teachers’ clear explanations. Teachers routinely model their expectations for their pupils’ completion of a task. This is especially helpful for lower-ability pupils. However, as evident in lessons and in pupils’ books in a range of subjects, most-able pupils, who are already confident with the task in hand, do not need or benefit from additional reinforcement when they are more than ready to develop their established skills and knowledge further.
• Teachers have responded promptly to leaders’ raised expectations for the rate of progress of pupils’ use of spelling, grammar and punctuation. Pupils make improvements because of their regular reminders from their teachers and the feedback they receive in books.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good
• Pupils are very clear about why they enjoy coming to school. Their teachers look after them, keep them safe, help them to learn and everyone is friendly to each other. As a result of the sense of community and security across the school, pupils are polite, confident and welcoming.
• Parents were very keen to express to inspectors their praise for the school, and in particular about the support received by pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Parents were highly appreciative of the early identification of their child’s specific needs and the collaborative approach between home and school in ensuring that pupils gain in confidence, receiving the help they need to make progress. This applies to pupils in both the mainstream school and the Peartree Centre.
• Pupils are respectful and knowledgeable of the past. Displays with information about former pupils, including their school reports, present inspirational role models. Since pupils heard about a former pupil who was killed during the First World War they have been involved in maintaining his grave.
• Pupils value the opportunity to be a member of the school council. In making a speech when hoping to join, and taking on different jobs such as secretary or treasurer, they get a taste, as one pupil put it, of ‘the real world’ and an understanding of democracy. The school council appreciate contributing their ideas to leaders and are delighted when they see improvements as a result of their work, for example when leaders improved the organisation of playtime so that activities were better organised and equipment shared fairly.

Behaviour

• Pupils have positive relationships with their teachers and each other. In most lessons, they are attentive in class, settle quickly to tasks and collaborate willingly to share ideas on each other’s work. On the few occasions when pupils become less focused, this is often associated with times when they are ready to move on to more stimulating work.
• Pupils demonstrate mature empathy for others, especially for those who might have difficulty in different aspects of their lives. They are keen to support their chosen charities and enjoy designing activities for raising money. They are understanding when pupils who have difficulty managing their behaviour join their classes and are considerate of ways in which they can help them.
• Pupils from different age groups mix well and listen to each other respectfully in discussions. Older pupils are caring and have a sense of responsibility towards others in younger year groups.
• Staff monitor closely pupils’ attendance and punctuality. The school communicates closely with parents to help overcome any difficulties getting their child to school and emphasising how poor attendance and punctuality affects pupils’ education. Rates of attendance have improved and are close to the national average.
• Teachers use the behaviour policy fairly and effectively. Pupils are clear on what is expected of them and say that measures such a ‘reason sheets’ when pupils reflect on the impact of their actions on others, the use of report sheets and reward systems, help pupils to improve their behaviour. Serious behaviour incidents, such as pupils behaving irresponsibly or using racist language, are rare.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Overall, pupils made progress in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stage 2 in 2015 at rates broadly in line with the national average. However, the progress of some groups of pupils, notably low-ability pupils and disadvantaged pupils, declined substantially compared with previous recent years. Provisional results for 2016 indicate some improvements, with pupils generally making above-average progress in reading and writing. However, the progress of all pupils in mathematics was below average. The progress of disadvantaged pupils and low-ability pupils continued to be below average in reading, writing and mathematics.
• There are inconsistent and fluctuating levels of progress for different groups of pupils. The achievement of disadvantaged pupils is below that of other pupils nationally.
• Rates of progress in lessons and reflected in pupils’ books are not swift enough as teachers do not move pupils on to more sufficiently challenging work when they are ready.
• Pupils’ attainment at the end of key stage 1 declined from above average in 2014 in reading, writing and mathematics to average in reading and mathematics and below average in writing in 2015. Provisional results for 2016 indicate that pupils have attained less well than the national average in reading, writing and mathematics. The difference between disadvantaged pupils and other pupils nationally persists.
• Pupils’ achievement in phonics has improved in recent years because of the school’s focus on improving reading and higher-quality teaching of phonics.
• Pupils receiving additional support, for example pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and those attending the Peartree Centre, make good progress in meeting their individual targets. Pupils have improved the quality of their work after joining a behavioural support group.
• Most-able pupils achieve as well as, or better than, other pupils nationally from similar starting points. They make progress at rates better than their peers in school.
• Pupils enjoy reading and make good progress, including most-able pupils, because of the support and encouragement they receive at home and at school. Pupils have good levels of comprehension because of their teachers’ promotion of the use of a wide vocabulary. However, some readers do not make progress as quickly as they are capable because they are not introduced to more complex texts when they are ready for more challenge.

Early years provision Good

• Children in the early years are enthralled by learning because of engaging, good-quality teaching. The impact of this, especially in the Nursery, inspires children to be eager to learn more, so throughout the early years they concentrate well on their activities with sustained interest. They are responsive to adults’ guidance and requests.
• Leaders carefully and regularly track the progress of children so that they identify those who need extra support in specific areas to help them catch up. As a result of effective interventions and improvements in the quality of teaching, the proportion of children achieving a good level of development has increased in recent years to above national levels. While differences are decreasing, a smaller proportion of disadvantaged children achieve a good level of development. Leaders recognise this as an area for improvement and are working on earlier identification of children who need additional support from the earliest stages.
• Adults’ consistent expectations across the early years mean that routines are established and children rapidly become more independent, for example, taking responsibility for their own belongings.
• Children are confident and welcoming. They were keen to introduce themselves to inspectors and to explain what they were learning. Children are highly motivated to use their reading, writing and number skills in imaginative activities planned by their teachers, such as tracking down the ‘naughty elf’ who had taken away some Christmas presents.
• When adults use questioning effectively, children are guided skilfully to develop their ideas and articulate their thoughts clearly. Children receive helpful additional support with the development of their speech and language. On occasions, children who are already confident with specific skills and knowledge, for example in their use of numbers, are not moved onto more challenging tasks that would develop their thinking further.
• Leaders ensure that children are well prepared for each stage of their early education. Teachers meet to share information about each child as they move onto the next year group, so that individual strengths and what helps them best are known by all. Nursery children join the Reception children for events such as the teddy bear picnic and ‘stay and play’ days and Reception children get to know what is expected of them in key stage 1 by having a ‘buddy’ in Year 1.
• Teachers’ communications with parents are close and strong, including staff making home visits, so that children know what to expect when they start in the Nursery and Reception classes. Parents contribute regularly to assessments of their child’s progress by noting skills they practise at home.
• Adults consistently have high expectations for children’s good behaviour. Children are considerate towards each other. They are kept safe and secure, and are aware of risks to themselves and others and how to keep safe. The outdoor area is popular with children who enjoy engaging in more physically active tasks. There are fewer opportunities for those who prefer calmer, more focused activities.

School details

Unique reference number 102898 Local authority Richmond upon Thames Inspection number 10019239 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 873 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Joanne Merritt Ian Dickinson 020 8977 4858 www.stanley.richmond.sch.uk info@stanley.richmond.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 14–15 November 2011

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school is much larger than the average primary school.
• The ratio of girls to boys attending the school is lower than average.
• The proportion of pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium funding is approximately half the national average.
• Most pupils represent White British heritage. The proportion of pupils representing minority ethnic groups is smaller than the national average.
• Slightly fewer pupils than average speak English as an additional language.
• The proportion of pupils receiving support for special educational needs and/or disabilities is lower than average. More pupils than average have a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan.
• The school meets the government’s floor standards, which set out the minimum expectations for attainment and progress of pupils by the end of Year 6.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning in 25 lessons, sometimes jointly with school leaders. They also made briefer visits to lessons. An inspector attended a singing assembly and observed routines for registration at the start of the day. One inspector visited the Peartree Centre and a behavioural support group.
• Inspectors held meetings with school leaders, members of the governing body, a representative of the local authority and groups of pupils. They had informal conversations with staff and pupils as they toured the school and visited lessons. One inspector listened to pupils read.
• Inspectors scrutinised a wide range of school documentation, including records relating to safeguarding. They also evaluated the work in pupils’ books.
• The inspection team observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school.
• Inspectors took into account the responses to a survey completed by 65 members of staff for this inspection. There were no responses to the pupils’ survey. They also made reference to 265 responses to Parent View, the Ofsted online survey, and to correspondence received from parents.

Inspection team

Amanda Carter-Fraser, lead inspector Jason Hughes Karen Jaeggi Helen Rai Alison Martin

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector