Rye Oak Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Raise standards in reading by building on the current programme of guided work so that pupils have more planned opportunities to explore texts at greater depth.
• Develop the curriculum so that pupils have opportunities to use their skills in English and mathematics in a wider range of subjects.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Since the previous inspection the headteacher has been relentless in her drive to improve the quality of teaching and the progress that pupils make. The school has a clear focus that all staff know and support. Following staffing changes since the previous inspection, the headteacher has developed an effective and dedicated senior leadership team that support her in implementing further improvements.
• Senior leaders, along with middle leaders, have quickly developed into a knowledgeable and determined team that have a ‘can do’ attitude. They are reflective leaders and now need time to embed their actions. The leadership team support the headteacher well.
• Senior leaders and governors know where the school needs to improve. The actions on the school development plan are accurate and timely for the next phase of the school. Leaders know that the teaching of reading needs to improve so that pupils achieve at least in line with national expectations by the end of key stage 2.
• There is a high priority placed on continuing to develop staff through training. Opportunities to learn are provided for staff new to the school and those more experienced.
• Senior leaders have developed a strong monitoring cycle to ensure that teaching continues to improve. External consultants also work with the school each term to review teaching and learning with leaders. This supports the school in developing quickly and informs governors further through using an external independent perspective.
• Teachers know what their strengths are and what to do next to become even better. Where teaching is not strong enough, it is tackled swiftly though training and support by leaders to ensure that pupils continue to progress in their learning. However, if staff are not improving quickly enough then senior leaders will make difficult decisions to ensure that teaching remains good for pupils.
• Morale is high among leaders, all staff and pupils. This successfully impacts on how adults very calmly and sensitively interact with pupils, including those pupils who have challenging and complex needs.
• Meetings to check on the progress of pupils are regularly held. Because of these meetings, teachers are knowledgeable about the pupils and this successfully informs the work that they plan and teach to meet the pupils’ needs. As a result, pupils are progressing well in writing and mathematics.
• The curriculum has focused upon the teaching of basic skills so that pupils can access the rest of the curriculum. Leaders have recognised that they now need to broaden the opportunities for pupils to use their basic skills in more subjects.
• The sport premium funding is spent well. A specialist sports coach works alongside staff to help them deliver the curriculum. Pupils successfully participated in many external competitions last academic year and were proudly awarded ‘Young Leader of the Year’ and ‘Female Athlete of the Year’ for their achievements.
• The school provides well for the needs of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and they make good progress from their starting points. There is a resource base in the school that specialises in teaching children who have autism spectrum disorder. The pupils are very well supported in the resource base and make good progress. Most pupils are successfully integrated in classes with appropriate adult support.
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve well by the end of key stage 2, and make significantly more progress than other pupils nationally in mathematics. The pupil premium funding is used to target specific needs of pupils effectively.
• Through assemblies, the school’s ethos and educational visits, British values are promoted well. Pupils unanimously state that difference is not an issue at their school and that all pupils are treated as individuals, regardless of race, religion or ability. In the school council, pupils are actively encouraged to run and minute the meeting themselves. They make decisions about important school issues, for example the recent changes to the school’s behaviour system.
• The school has benefited from the challenge and support of the local authority since the last inspection. Since then, there has been a close working relationship in order to develop the school quickly in the early years foundation stage (EYFS) and also in ensuring that the teachers’ meetings about the progress of the pupils are rigorous. The local authority is confident in the capacity for the school to improve further with limited support from them.

Governance of the school

• Governors provide a high degree of support and challenge to leaders. They are ‘there every step’ through conversations about the strategic direction of the school and where the school needs to improve further.
• Through their link roles and genuine determination in developing the school further, governors know the school well. Where they have recognised weaknesses, they have ensured that leaders put measures in place to address them and follow this up to ensure that the actions are having an impact.
• Through a skills audit, governors are able to support the school in areas of their expertise. For example, the governors organised the additional marketing of the school to the local community to increase the numbers of pupils admitted to the EYFS.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Keeping pupils safe has a very high priority in the school. Staff are vigilant to pupils’ welfare and safeguarding is central to the culture of the school.
• Pupils know they are safe and well looked after in school.
• All relevant training is up to date. The school has a large number of trained designated safeguarding leads to ensure that there is always a member of senior staff available to support pupils, staff and families if an issue arises. All staff receive appropriate annual training and receive updated information when required throughout the school year.
• The school has effective procedures in place to keep pupils safe from harm, for example in reducing the risks of radicalisation and dealing with extremist views.
• Staff are vetted appropriately before being employed. The recruitment checks of all staff are extremely well organised and very robust.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The quality of teaching has successfully improved since the previous inspection. Teachers have higher expectations of all pupils, including the most able.
• By the end of key stage 1 and the end of key stage 2, the proportions of pupils who attained the expected standards at the higher level in writing were above the national averages. This highlights the marked improvement in the teaching of writing in all classes.
• Teachers give pupils regular practice to reinforce key knowledge and skills through very structured mathematical teaching. This ensures that pupils of all abilities, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, develop a secure knowledge of facts and concepts.
• More consistent phonics teaching, beginning in the provision for two-year olds, has strengthened pupils’ early reading skills so that the vast majority of pupils are now working at the expected level by the end of Year 1. However, leaders are aware that reading needs to be taught more effectively so that pupils’ outcomes are better by the end of key stage 1.
• Teachers have become more accurate in their assessments of pupils’ progress through meetings with leaders to discuss the needs of pupils. As a result, teachers can spot quickly who needs extra support to catch up or be extended further.
• Pupils’ knowledge and use of spelling, grammar and punctuation has improved greatly since the last inspection. More complex grammatical structures are taught to all abilities, including the most able.
• The school is committed to ensuring that all pupils achieve their full potential. The effective use of the pupil premium funding ensures that disadvantaged pupils, including the most able disadvantaged pupils, by the end of key stage 2 achieved above other pupils nationally in mathematics.
• Pupils who are at an early stage of learning English as an additional language are given numerous opportunities to develop their speaking and listening skills through effective support in class.
• Teachers mark pupils’ written work regularly and generally give them advice on how they can improve, using the school’s marking policy. In most cases, pupils respond well. This practice is most effective in the advice given to pupils in their writing.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Pupils say that bullying is rare, but if an incident does occur, then any adult will deal with it effectively. When using the internet, pupils are confident and knowledgeable about how to keep themselves safe. Each pupil in the group could give a different approach to keeping safe online.
• Pupils are very polite and respectful towards adults and their peers. Pupils approach visitors respectfully to welcome them to their school and are proud members of their school. The work in books is very tidy and consistently good handwriting shows that pupils have pride in their work
• Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted extremely well. The school’s values, including resilience, respect and responsibility, are embedded throughout all aspects of the school’s provision. Pupils enjoy taking on additional responsibilities offered to them, for example as play leaders, as peer mentors and by helping others in the dining hall.
• Personal development and welfare for pupils is outstanding as the work to support pupils and families is well developed and as a result attendance and behaviour of pupils has improved.
• Trusting and secure relationships between staff and pupils ensure that pupils feel confident to ask for help, if required, in all aspects of school life.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils behave well in lessons, playtimes and assemblies.
• The revised behaviour policy supports pupils’ behaviour and well-being throughout the school. However, the involvement and subsequent communication with parents was not as successful as it could have been and some parents were unsure of the revised procedures.
• Lunchtimes are positive times for pupils to meet each other and play with the activities planned for them. There is a crossover period of key stages where the playground is very busy and pupils say that this time is sometimes not as positive as there is not enough space to continue their games.
• Leaders have established robust procedures to closely monitor pupils’ attendance. There has been a marked improvement in attendance since the last inspection as leaders now use detailed records to identify patterns and trends in attendance over time. They work constructively with parents and agencies to support individual pupils’ attendance.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Most children start in the early years with a range of skills, knowledge and understanding that is below what is typical for their age. Through good provision in the early years most pupils catch up and have developed the skills needed to be successful in Year 1.
• Disadvantaged pupils are well supported to make good progress by the time they complete key stage 2. The most able disadvantaged pupils are making good progress in reading, writing and mathematics as they progress through the school, resulting in higher than national expectations by the end of key stage 2.
• Pupils across the school make most progress in writing and mathematics. From low starting points when they enter the early years, pupils have caught up by the end of key stage 1 to reach the national average in writing and maths.
• Progress continues for pupils in writing throughout key stage 2 so that pupils leave the key stage with writing levels above the national average.
• Through accurate and consistent teaching, pupils develop good skills in phonics. This ensures that all pupils, including those who find reading more difficult, know what to do when they are stuck on a word or phrase.
• Progress for pupils is not as strong in reading across the school. Pupils have developed strategies to decipher unfamiliar words and can answer easier questions about the meaning of the texts, but they are not as clear about how to infer and deduce meaning from the text.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are making good progress as they have targeted support either through additional adult support in lessons or outside of lessons.

Early years provision Good

• The early years is well led and managed. Leaders have an accurate understanding of the strengths of the provision and are focused upon the areas needing improvement. Provision for children has improved greatly since the last inspection. Though below the national average, most children are making strong progress to reach a good level of development by the end of the early years.
• All staff know the children well. Staff are well trained to meet the children’s welfare and learning needs. They particularly focus on teaching phonics, early reading and numbers so that the children have a good foundation to build all future learning on.
• Children start in the two-year-olds provision with skills and abilities that are, overall, below that which is typical for their age. Through close tracking of their needs, children who remain in the school until the end of reception make at least good progress, with the majority reaching levels to be successful learners in Year 1.
• Children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified quickly by staff and additional support is planned so that they can make good progress. Outside agencies are used effectively to support children with more complex needs who attend the resource base.
• Safeguarding procedures are effective and well known by all staff. Adults look after children very well so that children are happy and settle in quickly. Children in the two- year-olds provision are well cared for, their hygiene and medical needs are well supported.
• The curriculum is one of the strengths of the early years. A wide range of stimulating activities are planned by staff, both indoors and outdoors, in all areas of learning that motivate and engage all children. This results in most children enjoying their learning and progressing well. There is a further need to ensure that all groups make strong progress, especially the most able.
• Teaching and assessment are good, particularly in phonics, reading, writing and mathematics. Staff track progress and use this performance information to plan work for individual and group activities. This meets most children’s needs well. However, boys’ progress is lower than girls’ progress in most areas.
• Children’s behaviour is good and they play safely together. They negotiate space well when they use wheeled toys and take appropriate risks when using large outdoor play equipment.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 134903 Southwark 10019675 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 Number of pupils on the school roll Maintained 2 to 11 Mixed 479 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Kate Robathan Manda George 020 7639 3914 www.ryeoak.southwark.sch.uk office@ryeoak.southwark.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 19–20 November 2014

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• Rye Oak is much larger than the average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is well above average, partly due to the school having a resource provision for pupils with autism.
• The proportion of pupils receiving pupil premium funding is double the national average.
• More than double the national average of pupils who have English as an additional language attend the school.
• The school has provision for two-year-olds.
• The headteacher was appointed in February 2013. The deputy headteacher and many of the middle leaders have been appointed since the last inspection.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed 20 part lessons, of which 14 were jointly observed with the headteacher or deputy headteacher. In addition, inspectors made a number of other short visits to lessons and other activities, for example to look at pupils’ books and talk to pupils.
• Inspectors heard pupils read from Year 2 and Year 6.
• Inspectors observed the school’s work and scrutinised a number of documents, including improvement plans, school information on pupils’ recent attainment and progress, behaviour and attendance information, pupil premium, PE and sports premium funding and safeguarding and child protection.
• Inspectors spoke to parents in the playground, considered a parental survey supplied by the school and took into account five responses to the Ofsted online survey (Parent View) free-text and seven responses to the questionnaire. Inspectors also considered the 31 responses to the staff inspection questionnaire.
• Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, other leaders, other members of staff and a group of pupils. The lead inspector spoke to seven members of the governing body, including the chair, and two representatives from the local authority.

Inspection team

Neil Harvey, lead inspector Sean Flood Kanwaljit Singh

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector