Hugh Myddelton Primary School

Age group 3 –11 Inspection date(s) 31 January –1 February

p.1

Inspection number 381413 Hugh Myddelton Primary School Inspection report

p.1

Unique reference number 131842 Local authority Islington Inspection number 381413 Inspection dates 31 January – 1 February 2012 Lead inspector Barnard Payne

p.1

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.1

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3 – 11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 413 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Gary Poole Headteacher Andrew Turnock Date of previous school inspection 29 September 2006 School address Myddelton Street London EC1R 1YJ Telephone number 02072 786075 Fax number 02072 786754 Email address admin@humydd.islington.sch.uk achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked

p.1

after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

p.2

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when.

p.2

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.2

Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days’ notice. The inspection team spent 11 hours and 40 minutes observing 28 lessons; they observed all 18 teaching staff. They also observed support sessions for individual pupils in literacy and numeracy, listened to pupils read and analysed samples of pupils’ work from across the school. They spoke to a cross-section of pupils about their views of the school. Inspectors took account of the responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection, observed the school’s work, and looked at the school’s self-evaluation summary, records of its monitoring of teaching and its performance data showing pupils’ progress through the school. They analysed questionnaires from 87 parents and carers, 97 pupils and 21 staff.

p.3

Information about the school

Hugh Myddelton Primary School is large compared to the average sized primary school. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is high compared to the national average. The majority of pupils are from a wide range of minority ethnic groups and just under half are learning English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils who are disabled or have special educational needs is in line with the national average. These pupils mainly have behavioural, emotional and social difficulties or speech, language and communication needs. The school meets the current floor standard. The school’s provision for the Early Years Foundation Stage consists of two Nursery classes and two Reception classes. Since the school’s previous inspection there have been changes to the school’s leadership, including a temporary headteacher prior to the current headteacher’s permanent appointment from September 2009. There have also been several other staff

p.3

Information about the school

A private provider runs after-school care and this is subject to a separate inspection. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

p.3

Key findings

 This is a good school in which all groups of pupils, including children in the Early Years Foundation Stage, make good progress. Their achievement is good in reading, writing and mathematics and the school successfully closes any gaps in performance between groups. Where pupils fall behind, the school uses an effective range of support and interventions to enable them to catch up. By the time pupils leave the school they are attaining at average levels and are well prepared for their next stage of education.  Teachers and support staff systematically teach reading, writing and mathematics to enable pupils to make good progress. Occasionally, the planning for lessons limits the opportunities for the more-able pupils with sufficient challenge to ensure that they work at the highest level they could.  Teachers provide good feedback for pupils so that they know how well they are doing. Teachers lead activities well, but sometimes pupils have too little

p.4

Key findings

opportunity to take a lead themselves and initiate ideas.  Pupils’ behaviour is good and the pupils show positive attitudes towards school and towards learning, helping lessons to flow easily. The school ensures that they are kept safe. It has successfully improved rates of attendance so that it is in line with the national average and continuing to improve.  The school was judged to be good when it was previously inspected. It has been through staff and leadership changes since that time but has sustained its good performance.  Leadership and management play a significant role in ensuring good levels of achievement and effective teaching. The school systematically monitors and evaluates its work and uses its findings to bring about improvements. The school provides a good range of learning activities, capitalising on its central London location so that pupils can broaden their experiences. The school’s

p.4

Key findings

leaders and governors have created a cohesive learning community and strongly promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

p.4

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that the more-able pupils are consistently challenged in order to increase the proportion achieving the highest levels in assessments at the end of Key Stages 1 and 2.  Increase the opportunities for pupils to take more responsibility for their own work and to generate their own ideas.

p.5

Achievement of pupils

Pupils have positive attitudes towards their learning and have a will to succeed. A very large majority of parents and carers believe that their children are making good progress and inspectors agree. Pupils develop and apply a range of skills well, including reading, writing, communication and mathematical skills, across the curriculum.

p.5

Achievement of pupils

The school gives reading and writing a high priority. Many children start school with low levels of skills, particularly in communication, language and literacy. In the Early Years Foundation Stage children make good progress because the learning activities consistently engage them. For example, in Reception children made a book on ‘How to be a Giant’, creating an exciting context in which to develop their reading and writing. A treasure hunt, linked to another book they had been reading, really inspired them to read for a specific purpose as they searched for clues. Adults are good role models, encouraging children to speak in full sentences when discussing activities.

p.5

Achievement of pupils

Pupils acquire a secure understanding of letters and sounds, enabling them to become confident readers as they progress through Key Stage 1. The less able readers use their knowledge to tackle words, even if the meaning is not always clear. Standards by the end of Key Stage 1 fluctuate year on year due to the starting points of different groups, but in reading and writing they are now broadly average. The school has successfully addressed weaker reading and writing by boys and all pupils now make good progress. The attainment of those who speak English as an additional language often exceeds that of other groups. Pupils make equally good progress in mathematics, achieving the national average by the end of Key Stage 1. Teaching systematically builds on previous knowledge; for example, in a Year 1 lesson on block graphs, the teacher referred back to previous work and had high expectations regarding pupils’ use of mathematical vocabulary to discuss and

p.5

Achievement of pupils

Pupils continue to make good progress in Key Stage 2 and attainment, including in reading, is broadly average. The school successfully closes any earlier gaps in attainment. All groups of pupils do well, in particular those known to be eligible for free school meals, boys and lower attainers. Mathematics has been the stronger subject in recent years, but the attention the school has paid to improving achievement in English has led to this gap closing. Pupils in all groups continue to make good progress in reading. Pupils talk enthusiastically about the range of books they have read. In a Year 4 lesson, a pupil with lower prior attainment confidently read his play script, including whispering the stage directions. Teachers consistently challenge pupils to make their writing more complex. For example in Year 6, pupils showed a good understanding of the power of language as they drafted and developed ideas to increase the emotional impact of story openings. They also

p.5

Achievement of pupils

understand how to write from a particular moral position, as in persuasive letters to Hitler as part of their Second World War topic.

p.6

Achievement of pupils

Pupils with special educational needs and pupils with disabilities make equally good progress. Early interventions give pupils a very sound basis for further improvement in Key Stage 2. Teaching and support are consistently effective, including targeted individual reading and numeracy sessions that rapidly accelerate progress. In a session for Key Stage 2 boys finding difficulty with reading, the strategies fully engaged the pupils; in following a card game to develop their use of letters and sounds, their ideas were used to make a play script and included the teacher and pupils all reading aloud.

p.6

Quality of teaching

A very large majority of parents and carers say that their children are taught well and inspectors agree. Teachers have appropriately high expectations of pupils. Curriculum planning ensures that pupils build systematically on their previous knowledge and that they cover a broad range of experiences. Teachers are particularly successful in ensuring all groups of pupils understand the principles of reading, writing and mathematics; these aspects are taught thoroughly and efficiently. In some lessons teachers plan less effectively to develop higher level skills. For example, pupils have a secure grasp of the mechanics of reading and writing, but do not always explore deeper meanings such as how to distinguish between what a character in a story looks like and the kind of person they are.

p.6

Quality of teaching

Teachers successfully engage pupils in lessons and work effectively as part of a team, with support staff, to ensure that even those pupils who find learning difficult will persevere and participate. They play a key role in developing pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development; they are good role models, promote tolerance and create positive relationships. While teachers are effective at demonstrating what they expect from pupils, on occasion they tend to control rather than allowing the pupils to initiate ideas and take a lead themselves. Pupils receive detailed and accurate feedback from teachers, which enables them to improve their work. A sample of books included well-targeted teachers’ comments with questions to increase the level of challenge and extend understanding and pupils responded well. Pupils have individual targets for English and numeracy and the teachers’ written comments are equally individualised.

p.6

Behaviour and safety of pupils

Questionnaires from parents and carers show that a very large majority are positive about pupils’ behaviour and safety and inspectors agree. A few parents and carers feel that behaviour at the school is not good enough and that bullying is not dealt with effectively. Pupils’ questionnaires show that a minority feel that behaviour is not consistently good and that the school does not always deal with bullying well. Inspectors followed up these concerns. Pupils chosen from a random cross section say that instances of bullying are rare and that the school deals with them effectively. In lessons and around the school pupils are considerate, respectful and build good relationships with one another and with staff. The school’s expectations regarding behaviour are clear and staff manage pupils well.

p.7

Behaviour and safety of pupils

A few pupils have problems controlling their own behaviour, but staff have clear strategies to deal with them. Disruptive incidents are rare and, over time, individual pupils improve their behaviour due to the school’s interventions and support. Pupils’ levels of engagement are typically good, allowing lessons to flow easily. The school’s curriculum covers different types of bullying. In a lesson on cyber-bullying, pupils in Year 2 were confident about asking for thinking time, showing their ability to reflect on the issues discussed. The large majority of pupils are punctual to school. Attendance is in line with the national average and shows convincing improvement over time, with a decrease in persistent absentees. This is due to the school’s successful work with pupils, families and education welfare officers.

p.7

Leadership and management

The headteacher, senior leaders and governors share an ambitious vision for the school. They are fully committed to serving the community and enabling pupils to become confident citizens. The effective promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is evident in the good curriculum, which covers a wide variety of cultures and faiths and enables pupils to be imaginative and creative. Consequently, pupils develop positive attitudes towards one another and the wider community. The school is very successful in promoting equality of opportunity, which is reflected in the outcomes for pupils. The school’s leaders have a clearly articulated view of what they expect from pupils and staff and have effective strategies in place to continue to make improvements. They have a very accurate view of strengths and improvement priorities due to rigorous self-evaluation. Senior leaders track the

p.7

Leadership and management

progress and achievement of each group of pupils and use this information to identify individuals or groups in danger of falling behind. Actions to improve the reading and writing of particular groups have led to a good level of improvement.

p.7

Leadership and management

The school has tackled the previously varied quality of teaching through a very effective programme of professional development. Staff are regularly observed and then coached and supported to improve their practice and teaching now shows greater consistency and continues to improve. The school is developing its leadership capacity through establishing learning teams, each with a leader. This is part of a longer-term plan for all staff to see themselves as leaders. The teams are too recently established to judge their impact, but already new initiatives, such as developing new approaches to teaching writing, are evident in classrooms. The school’s track record shows that it has the capacity to sustain improvement. Most parents and carers feel the school responds well to their concerns, keeps them informed, and would recommend the school to other parents. The school has effective systems to engage with parents and carers; it is continuing to develop

p.7

Leadership and management

these through involving parents and carers in their children’s learning in school, such as their participation in numeracy support for individual pupils. The school meets all requirements to ensure that pupils are safe.

p.8

Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

p.9

Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 46 46 8 0 Primary schools 8 47 40 5 Secondary schools 14 38 40 8 Special schools 28 48 20 4 Pupil referral units 15 50 29 5 All schools 11 46 38 6

p.9

Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements have been introduced from 1 January 2012. This means that inspectors make judgements that were not made previously. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2010 to 31 August 2011 and represent judgements that were made under the school inspection arrangements that were introduced on 1 September 2009. These data are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk). The sample of schools inspected during 2010/11 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools. Primary schools include primary academy converters. Secondary schools include secondary academy converters, sponsor-led academies and city technology colleges. Special schools include special academy converters and non-maintained special schools.

p.9

Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100.

p.9

Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning and development taking account of their attainment.

p.10

Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils’ work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

p.10

Common terminology used by inspectors

Attendance the regular attendance of pupils at school and in lessons, taking into account the school’s efforts to encourage good attendance.

p.10

Common terminology used by inspectors

Behaviour how well pupils behave in lessons, with emphasis on their attitude to learning. Pupils’ punctuality to lessons and their conduct around the school.

p.10

Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving based on its self-evaluation and what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

p.10

Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the governors and headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

p.10

Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

p.10

Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school’s overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school.

p.10

Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils’ attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

p.10

Common terminology used by inspectors

Safety how safe pupils are in school, including in lessons; and their understanding of risks. Pupils’ freedom from bullying and harassment. How well the school promotes safety, for example e-learning.

p.10

carers to share with their children. It describes Ofsted’s

main findings from the inspection of their school.

p.11

Inspection of Hugh Myddelton Primary School, London EC1R 1YJ

We really enjoyed visiting your school. Thank you for making us welcome, talking to us about the school and for being so polite. You enjoy school and we can see why, as it is a good school that helps you achieve well.

p.11

Inspection of Hugh Myddelton Primary School, London EC1R 1YJ

You make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics so that you are well prepared for secondary school by the end of Year 6. Your teachers and support staff make your lessons interesting and help you if you find anything difficult. They are very effective in teaching you how to read, write and learn about mathematics. Your behaviour is good, so that you are able to work and concentrate well in lessons. We know from your questionnaires that some of you have concerns about behaviour and bullying, but we found little evidence of bullying and the school deals well with any that does occur. The staff manage behaviour well.

p.11

Inspection of Hugh Myddelton Primary School, London EC1R 1YJ

As you can see, we have a lot of good things to say about the school but feel some of you could do even better. That is why we have asked the school to do two things:

p.11

Inspection of Hugh Myddelton Primary School, London EC1R 1YJ

 ensure that you are always challenged, especially those of you who find learning easier, to work at the highest levels you can, so that more of you reach Level 3 at the end of Year 2 and Level 5 at the end of Year 6  increase the opportunities for you to take more responsibility for your work and generate your own ideas.

p.11

Inspection of Hugh Myddelton Primary School, London EC1R 1YJ

You already have the positive attitudes and skills to do well. You can help by setting yourselves challenges and showing how responsible you are. We wish you every success.

p.11

Inspection of Hugh Myddelton Primary School, London EC1R 1YJ

Barnard Payne Lead inspector procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.11