New Monument Primary Academy Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Continue to improve pupils’ outcomes, particularly for the most able, in reading, writing and mathematics by:
  • ensuring that teachers consistently use assessment information effectively, so that pupils can build on what they already know and understand
  • ensuring that tasks and activities in lessons are challenging enough to meet the learning needs of the most able pupils.
• Further strengthen middle leaders’ capacity to improve pupils’ outcomes by:
  • developing their use of assessment information.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher, ably supported by the deputy headteacher, has led a cultural change across the school. A sustained focus on high expectations of what pupils can achieve and the promotion of pupils’ personal development have brought improvements in all areas of the school.
• Leaders’ relentless focus on high standards is a true reflection of the school’s vision, ‘Inspiring Achievement’. All at the school share the headteacher’s ambition for the school to be the best it can be.
• Leaders have used the good teaching that exists within the school and across the trust effectively to help teachers develop their own practice. Individual teachers have received coaching from more experienced colleagues to help them plan and deliver more effective learning in lessons. This, together with a robust approach to accurate monitoring and feedback on the quality of teaching and learning across the school, has been effective in driving up standards. The local authority has provided high-quality support for the school over time, the quality of which is appreciated by leaders.
• Leaders and teachers use assessment information to set appropriate targets for pupils’ attainment. As a result, most work is well matched to the different abilities of pupils so that they make at least expected progress. However, leaders recognise that this is not always the case and that assessment information could be used more effectively to enable the most able pupils to make even more progress.
• Middle leaders are currently developing their skills, particularly focusing on providing support for teachers. However, they are not yet skilled enough to analyse assessment information effectively and so they do not recognise when pupils are not making enough progress in the subject for which they have responsibility. Senior leaders know that this is the next stage in the development of middle leaders’ effectiveness and identify this as a priority in building capacity in leadership in the school and across the trust.
• The curriculum reflects the importance leaders place on pupils’ personal development. There are many opportunities for pupils to discuss their attitudes and understanding of culture, religious belief and values through a well-thought-out personal, social, health education programme, which is cleverly woven into subjects such as science, religious education and topic work. There are good opportunities for pupils to apply skills learned in mathematics to other subject areas. For example, Year 3 pupils recorded measures, tabulating them, then drawing a graph to demonstrate how the length of a shadow changes throughout the day. There is specialist teaching in music, Spanish and physical education. In addition, the school provides many opportunities for pupils to broaden their cultural experiences. For example, pupils visit libraries, museums and places of worship. The school is currently developing its science curriculum, so that it is based more on investigation and experimentation.
• Opportunities to develop pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are plentiful. Pupils discuss making choices, moral dilemmas and the celebration of different cultures. The impact of this was illustrated by one interaction with a child. When talking with the inspector about the difficulties that can arise when different cultures are mixed together, the child queried, ‘Why wouldn’t you want to get to know a person from another country or culture?’
• Funding to support disadvantaged pupils and those who have SEN and/or disabilities is used effectively. A range of interventions, including individual support for pupils, ensures that these pupils make the same good progress as their peers. Strong leadership of SEN promotes the well-being of pupils and carefully tracks their progress to ensure that they are achieving all that they can.
• Sports funding has been used effectively and, as a result, a greater number of pupils attend sporting events within the locality and beyond. The school employs specialist coaches to work alongside teachers and improve their skills, providing a legacy of ongoing improvements. Pupils particularly like the new opportunities, such as girls’ cricket and basketball. Records show that there is a significant improvement in the number of pupils taking part in after-school clubs as the result of these new opportunities. This makes an important contribution to pupils’ social development and welfare by encouraging integration and widening pupils’ cultural experiences. These opportunities are appreciated by parents and carers, one of whom commented, ‘Before, my daughter wasn’t interested. Now she is cricket mad and plays all the time.’

Governance of the school

• Governors have a good understanding of the strengths and areas of development for the school. They have recently reorganised their committees to enable them to focus more strongly on holding leaders to account. Early signs show that this is having a positive impact.
• Governors are well informed about the teaching and learning standards in the school. They visit classes regularly, focusing on different aspects of learning, and provide detailed reports to share with other governors, highlighting strengths and areas for development or discussion.
• New arrangements for the appraisal of staff have been in place since September 2017. These focus effectively on targets relating to pupils’ progress, teacher performance against the national teacher standards and continual professional development. As a result, governors are in a strong position to make informed judgements regarding possible pay progression for staff.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Safeguarding is a priority in the school in supporting pupils, parents and the community. This priority is recognised in one parent’s comments: ‘The school reaches out to the community. Nothing is too much to help us care for our children.’
• The strong culture of safeguarding in the school prioritises the care of children and families. Working closely with the family liaison officer, the school makes sure pupils and families get the support they need. This sometimes means that the school goes above and beyond what might be usually expected, in order to secure the best results for families. High-quality, timely training opportunities for all members of staff ensure that they know what to do should an issue arise concerning pupils’ safety. All instances of child protection are recorded in detail and followed up meticulously. Procedures for the recruitment and vetting of staff are detailed and robust.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The quality of teaching, learning and assessment has improved since the previous inspection and is now good. Teachers, with input from senior leaders, plan interesting lessons that engage pupils in their learning. Teachers’ good subject knowledge helps pupils understand the ‘basics’ in literacy and numeracy, and so they have the best chance of making progress.
• Teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve in their learning. Teachers provide stimulating tasks and activities that are mostly well matched to the ability of the pupils. However, there are times when this is not the case and, as a result, some pupils do not make as much progress in lessons as they could. Sometimes work given to the most able pupils is not challenging enough to deepen their understanding and develop their thinking sufficiently to allow them to make the best progress.
• Phonics is taught very well in the school. Teachers deliver relevant and precise phonics sessions, leading to a much higher than typical percentage of pupils in Year 1 achieving above the expected national standard in the phonics screening check. This good start is successfully built on to promote reading skills. New books to capture the interest of pupils (especially that of boys), regular reading at home and catch-up groups for those pupils who have fallen behind contribute to improving reading standards. Year 6 pupils are particularly proud to take part in the ‘Reading Passport’ that encourages them to read 100 books.
• The basic skills of writing are well taught, using a structured approach that builds slowly on pupils’ basic skills of letter formation and simple sentences. Teachers focus on developing pupils’ use of vocabulary as a priority, before trying to extend pupils’ sentences. In Years 5 and 6, there is a considerable emphasis on pupils correctly punctuating their writing, using the school’s ‘punctuation face’ to extend slowly the range of punctuation that pupils use.
• Number is well taught in the school. Pupils have a good understanding of number bonds lower down the school and of arithmetic to add, take away, divide and multiply. By the time they are in Year 6, there are regular opportunities for pupils to practise their multiplication facts and teachers provide a variety of ways for pupils to do this, so that they do not lose motivation. There are developing opportunities for pupils to apply their knowledge and understanding through reasoning.
• Teaching assistants are effective in lessons, supporting those pupils who find learning more difficult. They offer a good balance between supporting pupils’ learning and challenging them to work independently. Teaching assistants work closely with the class teacher, often providing notes at the end of the lesson on how well individual pupils have understood the concepts covered. This helps teachers plan the next learning, taking into account any misconceptions pupils may have.
• Teaching in other subjects such as science and computing is good. Teachers make good links between subjects, so that pupils can apply their knowledge and develop their understanding.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Pupils treat one another with great dignity, respect and acceptance. They show very high levels of care towards one another, with older pupils instinctively looking after the welfare of their younger compatriots. They appreciate the opportunities they have to celebrate and learn about their friends’ different countries and cultures and see this diversity as a strength of the school. ‘Everybody has something to offer. In school that’s just the way it is,’ was typical of pupils’ attitudes to one another.
• Pupils very much enjoy and benefit from the high-quality opportunities they have to develop their sense of responsibility and independence. These include being a member of the school parliament, representing pupils’ views, being an e-learning ambassador, helping pupils stay safe online or being a buddy for younger pupils. They take these roles very seriously and strongly feel part of the school community as a result.
• British values are strongly promoted in class and in assemblies. Pupils have a deep understanding of what these values represent and they align themselves closely with the school’s own values, which include freedom, respect and taking responsibility for your actions. Consequently, they are very well equipped to grow up in multicultural Britain.
• Pupils feel completely secure in a learning environment free from prejudice. They feel safe because they have great trust in the adults around them. ‘If you have a problem you can always find an adult to help,’ was a typical comment made by pupils. Parents and staff agree that pupils are very safe and well cared for.
• Pupils have a very good understanding of how to stay healthy and how to stay safe online. The school sees internet safety as a priority within the whole school community. There are regular sessions for all pupils and additional opportunities for parents to come into school and learn how to help keep their children safe online.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary, both in lessons and when moving around the school. This view is strongly shared by parents and staff. Pupils’ behaviour in lessons reflects high levels of engagement, cooperation and enjoyment. They have very positive attitudes to their learning which help them to work hard and do their very best.
• Pupils appreciate the rewards they receive for behaving well and working hard. They particularly like the ‘Purple Pearls’ they receive for showing kindness and care to others or for overcoming a fear or challenge.
• Pupils say that they try to behave and learn in lessons because, if they do not, it will not only affect their learning but that of their classmates. Bullying is rare in school, but pupils say that if it does happen it is dealt with swiftly and effectively by school staff. Parents agree.
• Attendance is close to the national average. Pupils enjoy coming to school and particularly like the opportunities given in lessons to discuss their work and ideas with one another. Pupils say it helps with their learning and develops a sense of teamwork.
• Pupils’ outstanding behaviour reflects their learning environment, which is inclusive, tolerant and free from inequality.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• In 2017, pupils achieved in line with other schools nationally in Year 2 and Year 6. However, the progress made by these pupils was well above that achieved nationally, reflecting the low starting points. The performance of current pupils throughout the school, confirmed by assessment information and work seen in books, shows that progress in reading, writing and mathematics is good again this year, reflecting improvements in teaching. However only a few of the most able pupils are currently reaching the higher standards of which they are capable.
• The proportion of children gaining a good level of development by the end of Reception has improved steadily over the last three years. From below typical starting points, children make good progress and achieve standards which are similar to those achieved nationally.
• Outcomes in phonics have improved significantly over the last three years. Higher proportions of the current Year 1 pupils are achieving above the expected national standard in the phonics screening check.
• By the end of Year 2, pupils have successfully built upon their basic skills so that the proportion of pupils reaching the expected and high standard in reading, writing and mathematics is similar to that being achieved nationally.
• Disadvantaged pupils and those who have SEN and/or disabilities make good progress and achieve well. There are targeted interventions in all year groups to build confidence and independence. Leaders have a system in place to identify pupils within these groups who, with the right encouragement and support, could achieve the highest levels.
• Outcomes in other subjects such as history and geography are similar to those being achieved in literacy. This was confirmed by assessment information and work seen in books.

Early years provision Good

• Provision in the early years has improved significantly since the previous inspection and is now good. The same strong focus on pupils’ personal development is evident within the Nursery and Reception classes, resulting in confident and happy learners. This is partially the result of very good procedures to induct children into the settings, which include home visits, taster days and meetings with parents.
• Appropriate and consistent routines shared between the settings allow children to feel secure. One parent commented that the school, ‘Can’t do enough. We had no idea what to expect not having been to school in this country. My child simply loves it. She is so happy.’
• Although children enter the setting with skills and knowledge below those which would be typically expected, they settle quickly and make good progress. A significant proportion of pupils do not speak English when they start in the settings. Through focused planning for language development and a rich language environment, where staff constantly reinforce basic English, children gradually improve and gain the confidence to speak.
• Key to the progress children are making is the support of parents for their children’s learning. Staff work closely with the school’s family liaison offer to ensure that parents feel comfortable and are equipped to help their children learn.
• Teaching is good across the settings, with work planned daily to meet children’s individual needs. There is a good balance between those activities that are adult led and those where children choose to learn independently. Children particularly like learning outside in the spacious and stimulating outside area, using the kitchen to make ‘mud pies’ or the playground which serves as a giant black board.
• Both settings are well led and managed by the same leader. Good teaching ensures that children build on their basic skills of literacy and numeracy. Adults use assessment information well to plan tasks for groups of children. They are now developing a more sophisticated approach which focuses precisely on individual children’s needs. Children’s achievements are recorded in their learning journeys, which are frequently shared with parents.
• The settings are very secure and daily checks on equipment and learning areas are carried out to ensure that they are safe. Adults receive frequent training on all aspects of child protection and all welfare requirements are fully met.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 139890 Surrey 10046575 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 2 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 276 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Iftekhar Qasim Judy Hall 01483769302 http://www.newmonument.surrey.sch.uk head@newmonument.surrey.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 9–10 March 2016

Information about this school

• New Monument Academy is part of the Broadmere and New Monument Multi Academy Trust.
• The school is an average-sized primary school.
• The school has a much-larger-than-average proportion of pupils who come from minority ethnic groups or who speak English as an additional language.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is average. A small number of pupils have education and health care plans.
• The school has a Nursery and a Reception class where children attend full time.

Information about this inspection

• The inspectors visited lessons, sometimes accompanied by senior leaders, to observe pupils’ learning.
• Discussions were held with senior leaders, members of staff, pupils, a group of parents and a representative from the local authority.
• Inspectors examined a wide range of documentation, including that relating to attendance and behaviour, school improvement planning, assessment information, monitoring of teaching, minutes of governing body meetings, local authority reports and school policies relating to safeguarding.
• The inspectors listened to pupils from Years 2 and 6 read and met formally with a group of pupils to discuss their learning, behaviour and safety. Inspectors evaluated pupils’ books, displays of pupils’ work and the school’s assessments of the progress made by pupils.
• The inspectors took into account the views of parents and carers through 32 responses to the online survey Parent View.

Inspection team

Bill James, lead inspector Kusum Trikha Alan Jenner

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector