Ivydale Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Ensure that the leadership of subjects continues to improve consistently and results in even higher standards across the curriculum.
• Further improve the quality of teaching across subjects by
  • tackling remaining inconsistencies in teachers’ use of assessment and communicating high expectations when planning lessons.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher, leaders and governors have improved procedures for evaluating the quality of teaching since the last inspection. As a result, teaching is now good. Leaders have built on the school’s existing strengths so that pupils’ behaviour and the provision for their personal development is excellent.
• Teachers and other staff are positive about the way leaders balance priorities for school improvement with their personal development when planning their training. Arrangements to allow teachers to discuss and share good practice are effective and help ensure consistency. Leaders take account of a range of research when deciding how to formulate plans for improvement and review teaching methods.
• Leadership of some subjects, including English and mathematics, is strong. As a result, pupils achieve well and enjoy a wide range of experiences, which enrich their learning. However, leadership of other subjects is still concentrated in the hands of senior leaders. This results in some variability in the depth and quality of learning in some subjects. Leaders recognise the need to develop leadership skills across the staff to ensure that all subjects are led consistently well.
• Leaders use information and assessment evidence skilfully to decide how well their plans for improvement are progressing. Since the last inspection, they have developed a more coherent approach to school self-evaluation and monitoring arrangements. As a result, they have a precise understanding of the school’s effectiveness.
• Leaders and staff understand how well different groups of pupils make progress in their learning. Disadvantaged pupils make similar or better progress to their peers in a wide range of subjects. The pupil premium funding is well accounted for and spent very effectively in this school.
• The additional funding for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is spent more effectively than at the time of the last inspection. Leaders have more detailed and accurate information about how well these pupils are progressing across their subjects. They check more effectively on how well teachers engage these pupils and use the information they have to plan lessons to take account of their needs.
• The sports premium is spent on helping pupils gain access to skilful, enthusiastic coaching, which is helping them develop good skills across a number of sports.
• The curriculum is organised around a series of themes with good-quality literature at their heart. Pupils benefit from a broad and interesting range of topics, which leaders have planned carefully. Their intention is to build pupils’ skills and knowledge, over time. In some subjects, such as art and computing, leaders ensure that the curriculum is implemented extremely well. However, there is some variability in the impact of the curriculum across the full range of subjects.
• There is excellent provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education. Deliberate and consistent effort by leaders helps pupils understand and value diversity. As a result, pupils said they are proud of their community and can explain how the rule of law upholds the rights of people with different characteristics. This prepares pupils well for their future lives in modern Britain.

Governance of the school

• Governors understand how and why the school has improved since the last inspection. They combine discussions with leaders with visits and checks on the views of parents, carers and pupils. In this way, they gather a well-rounded view of the school’s work. Governors understand and check how additional funding is used, and hold leaders to account for its effectiveness.
• Governors are aware of the financial implications resulting from the expansion of the school to two sites and a subsequent decision to reduce the number of classes in each year group to three. Governors are prioritising efforts to implement a three-year medium-term plan to secure the school’s financial footing in the light of these changes.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders have successfully created a culture where pupils and parents can talk and express views openly and confidently. This enables leaders to be aware of any concerns at an early stage. Staff are appropriately trained in how to recognise and respond to signs of abuse. They understand the school’s safeguarding procedures well. Leaders make sure they receive information about updates to statutory guidance.
• Leaders are particularly effective in using their safeguarding records to look for patterns to inform their actions, as a result. They have improved the way records of concerns are organised. This has further strengthened leaders’ support for vulnerable pupils.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teaching has improved since the last inspection and is now good. Teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve. They apply their own training well to plan effective lessons and to use assessment information well.
• Pupils said that teachers make new learning easy to understand, and plan lessons which they enjoy. Their work across a range of subjects demonstrates teachers’ success in motivating pupils to apply themselves and make improvements to the first drafts of their work. As a result, pupils develop particularly positive attitudes and learn from their mistakes.
• Teachers are adept at deciding how and when to respond to pupils’ responses in mathematics lessons. Additional adults listen carefully and observe how well pupils tackle questions and attempt to solve problems. They adapt tasks when necessary, so that pupils are not left behind. Teachers ensure that the most able pupils know and can choose from a wide range of methods to tackle mathematical problems.
• The teaching of writing is effective and enables pupils to understand how to use grammar and punctuation to structure their work and make it easy for the reader to follow. Pupils’ work shows that they are taught well to spell accurately. The most able older pupils can explain how to use dictionaries to help them. Only occasionally does pupils’ work show some variability in teachers’ expectations and their guidance for pupils.
• Teaching across the curriculum is effective in ensuring that pupils build on prior learning and cover a broad range of knowledge and skills. However, the way that teachers assess pupils’ work and find ways to help them study topics in greater depth varies across different subjects.
• There is effective teaching in phonics, which leads to all pupils being well prepared to read independently by the time they begin key stage 2. Teachers promote reading well by maintaining interesting and attractive book displays in all classrooms. They select challenging texts as a starting point for work in topics.
• Teachers apply the revised behaviour policy well, and ensure that pupils with particular needs are well supported and feel included. The use of specialist advice is effective.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding. Pupils develop the skills needed to discuss topical and sensitive issues in a straightforward and respectful way. For example, during the inspection, older pupils were observed debating moral standpoints arising from a news item with interest and maturity. They are confident and articulate when discussing moral and cultural issues.
• Leaders set a very positive example of the importance of learning. Their work to improve the way pupils are recognised for the positive contributions they make to the school community is very effective. Pupils of all abilities and from a range of backgrounds said they feel more valued as a result of this.
• Pupils told us that they feel safe in school and protected from bullying and other forms of discriminatory behaviour. The curriculum includes good opportunities for pupils to learn how to stay safe. Leaders use social media wisely to keep up with online applications and websites favoured by young people. This helps them adapt their approach to e-safety regularly, so it remains relevant and effective.

Behaviour

• Pupils’ behaviour is outstanding. There are consistently high expectations of exemplary behaviour shared by staff and pupils across the school. Leaders have revised the system of rewards and sanctions since the last inspection. It is very well understood by everyone and is implemented fairly and consistently.
• Pupils demonstrate a strong commitment to learning. They behave very well in lessons because they are interested and motivated. Learning is seldom interrupted, as a result.
• In and around the school, pupils act courteously and with consideration towards each other. They have a direct influence on the school’s expectations for behaviour. For example, they create and monitor their own ‘playground charter’.
• This commitment to learning also means that attendance is above the national average for similar schools, and improving. Rates of persistent absence are also low.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils achieve consistently well in English and mathematics in key stages 1 and 2. Pupils’ work demonstrates that their good progress from all starting points is being maintained. The proportion of most-able pupils attaining a high standard and working at greater depth is above the national average.
• Nearly all pupils reach the expected standard in phonics by the end of Year 1. The few pupils who have not been successful catch up by the time they begin key stage 2.
• Inspectors looked at a wide range of work from disadvantaged pupils and found that they make similar good progress to their peers.
• Leaders have been successful in ensuring that progress made by pupils with SEND is more consistent and stronger since the last inspection.
• In some subjects, the standard of work achieved by pupils exceeds that expected for their age. For example, in computing, pupils know and can apply a broad range of coding skills to solve problems. However, in other subjects, such as religious education and science, pupils’ work shows some variations in the depth in which they are enabled to learn.

Early years provision Good

• This provision is well led. Leaders make sure that effective teaching gets children off to a positive start, and prepares them well for key stage 1. Leaders have taken prompt and effective action to maintain the consistency of teaching, over time.
• Children enter early years with skills which are broadly typical for their age. The proportion of children who achieve a good level of development is above the national average. This represents good progress. Leaders are ambitious to increase the proportion of children who exceed the good level of development. For example, they provide additional lessons for most-able children to help them deepen their understanding of the books they read.
• Teachers set up intriguing and engaging activities for children, both indoors and outdoors. Leaders take effective action to check that assessment of children’s progress is accurate, and involves parents.
• The teaching of reading, writing and mathematics is good. Phonics is introduced systematically, and taught with accuracy. Children make excellent progress in developing the physical skills they need to write confidently.
• Inspectors’ observations of children’s interactions in the Nursery and Reception Years exemplify the excellent progress they make in their personal development. Children quickly pick up adults’ high expectations for their behaviour, and learn to cooperate. They gain the resilience needed to maintain their focus in activities and explore resources in greater depth.
• Safeguarding is effective in the early years. Leaders check carefully on how well staff understand how to report concerns.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 100796 Southwark 10054350 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 Maintained 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 537 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Sophie Broadfield Helen Ingham 02076 392 702 www.ivydale.southwark.sch.uk office@ivydale.southwark.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 7–8 February 2017

Information about this school

• Ivydale Primary School is a much larger than average primary school. In 2017, it expanded to a second site for pupils in Year 4 to Year 6 at Inverton Road, a short distance from the original site. This was to accommodate a predicted move to four classes per year. However, subsequently, the school’s admission arrangements have been revised back to three classes per year.
• The pupils in the Nursery class attend on a part-time basis.
• There are breakfast and after-school club facilities on offer. A small number of pupils attend alternative provision in other schools in the local authority.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils with SEND is above the national average. The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan is in line with the national average.
• Pupils come from a wide range of backgrounds. The largest group is white British.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors visited lessons in all year groups to look at pupils’ work and observe teaching, usually alongside senior leaders from the school. They also conducted a scrutiny of pupils’ work with leaders after considering assessment information collected by the school.
• Inspectors met with members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.
• Inspectors also met with pupils, and asked about their views during informal conversations throughout the inspection. They heard a number of pupils read.
• A number of meetings were held with leaders responsible for subjects, the early years, behaviour and with the inclusion team. A meeting was held with the headteacher to discuss safeguarding arrangements.
• A wide range of documents was considered, including records of checks on the suitability of staff, leaders’ records of monitoring of teaching, documents related to school improvement, and records of analysis of pupils’ behaviour.
• Inspectors considered 151 responses to the pupil survey, 40 returns to the staff questionnaire and 180 written responses from parents submitted to Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey. Inspectors also considered 183 submissions to Parent View. Inspectors also took account of parents’ views obtained from informal discussions held at the beginning of the second day of the inspection.

Inspection team

Andrew Wright, lead inspector Jo Brinkley Anna Sutton

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector