London Meed Community Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the progress pupils make in reading, writing and mathematics by ensuring that:
  • teaching builds consistently well on pupils’ understanding
  • teaching deepens and extends pupils’ learning sufficiently, including for the most able
  • teachers’ expectations of pupils’ learning are sufficiently high.
• Strengthen middle leaders’ roles in making sure improvements in teaching are fully established across subjects and in checking that pupils are making better progress as a result
• Make sure that pupils’ behaviour during the lunchtime break is of the same consistent high quality as their behaviour during morning break, in lessons and around the school.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management

Requires improvement

• Leaders’ actions to improve the school’s performance since the previous inspection have not secured good teaching and learning across the school. Teaching is still too variable between classes and subjects to secure pupils’ good achievement in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Leaders have been hindered in their work by a combination of factors over time, including historical inaccuracies in assessments of pupils’ learning and difficulties recruiting staff. In recent months, however, the school has benefited from a more settled phase and the pace of improvement has accelerated over the past year. The quality of teaching and learning is improving. Responses to Ofsted’s staff survey show that morale is good.
• The headteacher has high expectations of all pupils and staff. Her determination to ensure the very best teaching for all pupils has been central to securing improvements in pupils’ learning during the past year. Leaders hold teachers to account for pupils’ achievement and challenge weak teaching robustly. Good-quality training is provided to improve practice.
• The school is a well ordered, harmonious and hardworking community. Pupils are keen to learn and get on well with each other. Leaders have sustained pupils’ good behaviour since the previous inspection.
• Leaders have ensured that assessments of pupils’ learning are now accurate and reliable so that they provide teachers with a reliable measure of pupils’ progress.
• Middle leaders’ roles have improved during the past year. The headteacher and governors have made some key appointments which have strengthened leadership considerably, particularly in mathematics, English and the early years. Middle leaders have an accurate view of strengths in teaching and are clear about further developments needed. It is too soon, however, for improvements in leadership to have impacted fully on pupils’ outcomes.
• Leaders ensure that the curriculum is broad, interesting and relevant so that pupils enjoy school. A wide range of clubs, including sports and art clubs, give pupils good opportunities to develop personal interests and skills.
• Pupils respond thoughtfully and respectfully to opportunities to think about different faiths and to reflect on their own beliefs. British values and the school’s own values are promoted well throughout the curriculum and the school day. For example, pupils think about values such as tolerance and respect sensibly during assemblies and lessons and speak confidently about how these relate to personal choices and actions.
• Leaders use physical education and sports funding effectively. For example, training for teachers has strengthened their ability and confidence to teach subjects such as dance and gymnastics. Pupils have many opportunities to participate in local sports competitions and tournaments and increasing numbers are involved in sports such as football, netball, cricket and athletics. In 2016, every pupil in key stage 2 participated in at least one sports competition.
• Leaders use pupil premium funding increasingly well to support the small number of disadvantaged pupils in the school. Leaders and teachers have a clear understanding of pupils’ needs and track their progress closely. However, leaders recognise that variations in the quality of teaching hamper some pupils’ progress.
• Funding to support pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is used appropriately. Developments in teaching mean that teachers and learning support assistants are more alert to pupils’ needs and increasingly knowledgeable about when and how to provide extra help.

Governance of the school

• The governing body continues to provide effective support and challenge for school leaders.
• Governors have an accurate view of the school’s performance because they work closely and constructively with school leaders. They make good use of the increasingly detailed information about pupils’ progress provided by school leaders to evaluate the school’s work. Governors ask leaders the right questions to ensure they have a realistic view of the quality of teaching and learning.
• Governors are understandably pleased with improvements in the quality of teaching since the previous inspection. However, they are not complacent. Governors are acutely aware of remaining inconsistencies in teaching and are as committed as ever to secure further developments.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders and governors take their safeguarding responsibilities seriously. They respond to any concerns about safeguarding promptly and appropriately and keep suitable records. They have recently made further improvements to record-keeping to strengthen safeguarding practice in the school.
• Leaders work closely and effectively with agencies, such as children’s services and behaviour management agencies, to support individual pupils and their families.
• Leaders provide timely training for teachers, governors and other members of staff, so that they are knowledgeable about safeguarding requirements and clear about what they should do if a concern arises.
• Leaders make sure that recruitment checks are complete and regularly updated so that the workforce is secure and pupils are safe. They complete risk assessments as part of the daily life of the school. This ensures that pupils can work and play safely.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Inconsistencies in teaching lead to variations in pupils’ progress in reading, writing, mathematics and other subjects. Teaching does not develop and deepen pupils’ learning consistently well enough, including for the most able pupils.
• Variations in teachers’ subject knowledge and in their understanding of how to teach aspects of English and mathematics mean that teaching does not always build strongly enough on pupils’ previous learning. For example, some teachers are less confident than others about using checks on pupils’ understanding during lessons to adjust subsequent teaching and activities.
• Improvements in the quality of teaching during the past year are beginning to raise the standard of pupils’ work and strengthen their learning. However, these developments are not yet fully established in all classes and subjects.
• Some teachers have very high expectations of pupils. They use questioning well during lessons to check pupils’ understanding and set demanding work which extends pupils’ thinking. However, in some classes teachers’ expectations of pupils’ learning are too low, allowing some pupils to produce scruffy, incomplete and poor-quality work.
• Effective teaching in the specialist support centre ensures that pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities learn well. Teachers skilfully combine high expectations of pupils’ learning and behaviour with warm, caring and supportive relationships. As a result, pupils feel secure and become confident learners.
• Well-established and consistent phonics teaching during the early years and key stage 1 ensures that pupils develop secure strategies to help them to read successfully by the end of Year 2.
• Learning support assistants work flexibly and productively alongside teachers to support pupils of different abilities. They work most effectively where teachers are clear about pupils’ needs and were they make sure learning support assistants are well informed about the next steps in pupils’ learning.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Older pupils perform roles of responsibility with interest and maturity. For example, the ‘young interpreters’ thoroughly enjoy supporting pupils new to the English language while they settle into school life.
• Pupils say they learn about everyday risks and how to keep safe during lessons, assemblies and events such as ‘anti-bullying week’. They talk confidently about some of the steps they can take to keep themselves safe, including when using the internet.
• Most pupils want to do their very best. They listen carefully, work hard and follow instructions sensibly. However, these positive attitudes are not shared by all pupils. Some find it difficult to concentrate during lessons and do not take sufficient care with their work.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils’ good behaviour and positive attitudes to learning make a strong contribution to their progress and to the hard-working atmosphere in the classrooms.
• Leaders check pupils’ attendance closely. They pay careful attention to any groups or individual pupils who do not attend regularly enough. Leaders work closely with parents and agencies. They have secured marked improvements in individual pupils’ attendance. Most pupils attend regularly. In 2016, pupils’ attendance matched national averages.
• Pupils know who to speak to if they are worried and say that teachers make sure they are safe. They say bullying is rarely a problem but that, if it does occur, teachers quickly sort it out. School records support this view and show that leaders respond promptly and appropriately to any concerns.
• Most parents who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire feel that pupils are safe, happy and well behaved. However, a small number of parents expressed concerns about pupils’ behaviour. However, leaders have responded well and continue to work positively with parents to support pupils’ behaviour and well-being. They make good use of specialist advice to support those pupils who find it more difficult to follow the school rules and who misbehave.
• Most pupils behave sensibly during lessons, playtimes and when moving around the school. However, some behave less well during the lunchtime break. This bothers some pupils and interferes with their enjoyment of playtime. Leaders have already taken steps to improve behaviour during lunchtimes but know that more needs to be done.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Pupils make uneven progress as they move up through the school. Their progress varies between classes, year groups and subjects. In 2016, pupils’ outcomes were above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stage 1 but below the national average at the end of key stage 2.
• The quality of teaching has improved during the past year so pupils are making better progress, particularly during key stage 2. The current standard of pupils’ English and mathematics work in Year 6 is considerably higher than it was in 2016. More pupils are on track to achieve at least expected outcomes in 2017.
• Pupils make strong progress in some classes. For example, they learn very well in Year 4 and Year 6, where consistently effective teaching ensures that learning builds well on pupils’ understanding. However, variations in the quality of teaching between classes and subjects in other year groups mean that some pupils learn less well than others.
• The most able pupils make strong progress during Year 6 and so are well prepared for the national tests at the end of the key stage, particularly in reading and mathematics. However, they do not learn as well in some other year groups and classes due to variations in the quality of teaching. In 2016, the proportions of pupils achieving greater depth in reading and mathematics matched the national average at the end of key stage 2 but were below average in writing.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make similar progress to their classmates. While some learn well, others make slower progress due to variations in the quality of teaching.
• Pupils who attend the special support centre are well prepared with the knowledge and skills needed to enable them to participate fully in the mainstream classes. For example, they learn how to choose and use different strategies to help them to tackle and complete mathematics tasks successfully. This helps pupils to work confidently alongside their classmates.
• Effective phonics teaching ensures that pupils are equipped with key reading skills by the end of key stage 1. The results of the Year 1 phonics check are consistently in line with national averages and, in some years, above. Pupils make good use of phonics knowledge to read more difficult words.
• There are very few disadvantaged pupils in each year group, so their learning and progress is not included in this report.

Early years provision Good

• The early years leader has acted quickly to address a dip in children’s writing outcomes in 2016, focusing particularly on improving boys’ progress in writing. He and his colleagues provide a wide range of opportunities for children to practise writing throughout the day. They successfully encourage children to write letters correctly, to write in sentences and to use simple punctuation. The work in children’s learning journals illustrates the strong progress they make in developing writing skills.
• Teachers design activities with care to capture children’s interest and to make learning fun. As a result, children thoroughly enjoy learning and cannot wait to get started when they arrive in school each day.
• Adults treat children with respect and listen carefully to their comments and views. Clear expectations and routines help children to feel secure. All children feel valued and involved, regardless of their background or ability. They are busy, engaged and well behaved during the school day.
• The early years leader has improved the quality of teaching and learning since his appointment. He has clarified adults’ roles in supporting children’s development and raised their expectations of children’s learning. Parents are confident that their children are learning well and recognise improvements in the early years during the past year.
• Good-quality teaching ensures that children are well-prepared for the next stage by the end of the early years. In 2016, the proportion of children achieving a good level of development was in line with the national average. Improvements in teaching and learning during the past year have ensured that more children are on track to achieve well in 2017.
• Leaders evaluate children’s learning accurately. They use assessments well to plan teaching and activities, taking careful note of individual children’s needs. Leaders make sure that the small number of disadvantaged children in the early years are effectively supported so that they make the same good progress as their classmates.
• Teachers work well with parents to support children’s learning and well-being. For example, they meet with parents at the start of the school year to discuss children’s interests and provide regular opportunities for parents to comment on their children’s learning and accomplishments at home.
• Teaching in the early years is consistently good, so children learn well. However, as with other year groups, teaching does not always deepen children’s learning sufficiently, particularly for the most able children. The early years leader has already identified this as the next step in developing teaching. He has a clear plan of action in place and is working supportively and constructively with colleagues to secure further improvements.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 125931 West Sussex 10024496 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 Community 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 412 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Jane Davey Candida Reece 01444 232336 www.londonmeedprimary.co.uk head@londonmeedprimary.co.uk Date of previous inspection 11–12 February 2015

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.
• The school meets the Department for Education’s definition of a coasting school based on key stage 2 academic performance results in 2014, 2015 and 2016.
• The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is lower than that found in most schools.
• Most pupils are White British. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below the national average.
• The school has a special support centre for 11 pupils with speech and language needs. Pupils spend some of the time in the centre and the rest of the time in mainstream classes, according to their needs.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning in 18 lessons or part-lessons, including nine paired observations with either the headteacher or the deputy headteacher.
• Inspectors held discussions with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, senior and middle leaders, a local authority representative, teachers, parents and pupils. They also spoke informally with parents at the start of the school day. Inspectors met with six governors, including the chair of the governing body.
• Inspectors took account of 74 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, as well as views expressed by parents informally during the school day. They also took account of 31 responses to the staff questionnaire.
• Inspectors observed the school’s work and considered a range of documents, including safeguarding policies, the school’s improvement plan and information about pupils’ progress and attendance.
• Inspectors looked at a sample of pupils’ work provided by the school, as well as looking at pupils’ work in lessons. They listened to pupils in Years 2 and 6 reading.

Inspection team

Julie Sackett, lead inspector Helen Baxter Teresa Davies

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector