New End Primary School

New End Primary School Streatley Place, Hampstead, London, NW3 1HU

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Almost all pupils achieve well. They make good progress from their individual starting points to reach above average standards by the end of Year 6.  The proportion of pupils making and exceeding typically expected progress compares favourably with the national picture.  Teaching is good overall with some that is outstanding.  Pupils are courteous and friendly. They extend a warm welcome to anyone joining mid-year which helps new arrivals settle quickly into school life.  Attendance has improved since the last inspection and is higher than the national average.  The curriculum has been revised recently and now offers a broad range of opportunities to develop communication and mathematical skills across a variety of subjects.  Pupils are enthusiastic about learning. They speak confidently about rights and responsibilities and are proud to be in a school with friends from all over the world.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders and managers, including the governing body, are committed to raising standards for all and the arrangements for improving the quality of teaching reflect this.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The proportion of outstanding teaching is not high enough to ensure that all pupils make rapid and sustained progress throughout all year groups.  Occasionally, some pupils’ needs are not fully met because their different starting points have not been taken into account carefully enough.  Middle leaders do not always use data effectively to monitor and improve outcomes for pupils.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 25 lessons which included the teaching of phonics (letter patterns and the sounds they represent) and reading. In addition, the inspection team listened to pupils read.  Inspectors scrutinised work in books and visited intervention sessions for pupils receiving extra support.  Meetings were held with pupils, staff and representatives from the governing body and the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the 150 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and other communication from parents during the inspection.  Inspectors looked at a range of documentation including that pertaining to safeguarding, the monitoring of teaching and learning, the minutes of governing body meetings, the school’s self- evaluation, data on pupil performance and behaviour logs.

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Inspection team

Jeanie Jovanova, Lead inspector Additional inspector Narinder Dohel Additional inspector Howard Jones Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger-than-average primary school. The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported at school action is above the national average, whilst the proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is just over half the national average.  A large majority of pupils are from minority ethnic heritages.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is higher than average. A small number is at the earliest stages of learning English. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for pupil premium is similar to that found nationally.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching in order to promote rapid and sustained progress for all pupils by: – planning and delivering tasks that are carefully tailored to the needs of all pupils – encouraging pupils to reflect on their own learning and building in time to do this – deploying support staff effectively throughout every lesson.  Ensure middle leaders use available data more effectively, within their areas of responsibility, to monitor and improve outcomes for all groups of pupils.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most children enter the school with skills that are broadly in line with typical expectations. In the Early Years Foundation Stage, children are given the opportunity to make choices about their learning. This helps them to develop a confidence and a love of learning, which stands them in good stead as they move through the school.  Pupils’ achievement at the end of Key Stage 1 has improved over the past year and pupils go on to make good progress across Key Stage 2 to reach above average standards.  Pupils at the earlier stages of learning English as an additional language make good progress because teachers have the specialist expertise to accelerate their language acquisition, which enables them to access the curriculum effectively.  Interventions for pupils supported at school action, school action plus or who have a statement of special educational needs are carefully monitored as to their effectiveness.

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The achievement of pupils is good

Changes are made where necessary to ensure maximum impact on pupil outcomes, ensuring good progress is made by these pupils.  Pupils who are known to be eligible for support under the pupil premium funding make good progress and achieve well compared to similar pupils nationally. There is still some variation between their achievement and the achievement of pupils in the school as a whole but funding is being well deployed to try to address this, and early signs are that this is having an impact on narrowing the in-school gap.  Pupils from the many ethnic minority groups represented on the school’s roll achieve more highly than similar groups nationally. They and their peers are provided with good levels of support where needed, and the curriculum helps them to make connections across subjects, which strengthens learning.  Achievement in reading is good because there is a strong commitment to making time for it.

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The achievement of pupils is good

Each school day starts with 15 minutes of reading time for everyone.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching maximises the opportunities inherent in the curriculum for pupils to make connections across subjects, which strengthen their learning and increase their enjoyment.  Marking, which was referred to in a recommendation from the previous inspection, has now improved. An exemplary marking policy clearly outlines expectations and has led to many teachers providing pupils with useful feedback and next steps in their learning. However, marking is not yet outstanding because it does not always lead to a dialogue between pupils and teachers.  Teachers pay careful attention to how they group pupils for speaking and listening activities, ensuring there is always a good role model for less fluent pupils to emulate. This results in all pupils using ambitious vocabulary appropriately and ensures regular exposure to the grammatical structures of standard English.  Teaching is often structured in such a way that opportunities are created for pupils to

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The quality of teaching is good

reflect on what they have learnt and the factors that contributed to their success. Even very young pupils were confidently able to tell inspectors about how they ‘put numbers in the right order’ and understood that this helped them with counting. However, in a small minority of lessons these opportunities for reflection are overlooked.  Where teaching is outstanding, pupils:  have visual aids to stimulate their interest and frame their understanding  are set challenges appropriate to their starting points  work in pairs or groups where they discuss and deliberate  are clear about the task and what they are expected to learn from it.  Outstanding features were evident in a mathematics lesson on symmetry. The teacher checked regularly to gauge understanding and was therefore able to move pupils on to the next challenge when they were ready. When she used the interactive whiteboard to rotate a semi-circle, there were gasps of awe, such was the pupils’ enthusiasm for learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In most classes, the additional adults present add value by monitoring the learning of key groups or individual pupils and helping to tailor the lesson according to their starting points. In the mathematics lesson cited above, the teaching assistant worked with a group on the hardest of the given tasks and they explored the possibilities together. He modelled correct technical language and his expert questioning helped to develop pupils’ thinking skills in evaluating and synthesising their own work. He effectively created a successful and cohesive learning community.  In a few lessons, tasks are not carefully matched to the needs of every pupil and progress slows for some. On occasions, the roles of additional adults are not clearly defined which results in missed opportunities to support pupils.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The importance of good manners is a strong feature of the school, with many posters and prompts to remind pupils of what these mean in practice. Consequently, pupils are courteous and polite, holding doors open for each other, and particularly for visitors, and saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ when appropriate.  Pupils are equally courteous in lessons. They work together well and the conversations they have with their learning partners are productive.  In lessons, pupils generally listen well and are keen to contribute. Where activities are interactive and well matched to their needs, all pupils take part with enthusiasm. Their natural curiosity and positive attitudes to learning ensure they acquire skills and knowledge quickly.  A very large majority of parents and carers agree that behaviour is good. Pupils are positive about behaviour and appreciate receiving certificates and other rewards which celebrate

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

examples of excellence.  Pupils understand the varying forms which bullying can take. However, they say that there is very little at the school because they all get on well. Behaviour logs confirm this.  There have been no exclusions for at least the past two years. The school introduced a system of restorative justice and anecdotal evidence so far indicates that this is having a positive long-term impact.  Pupils say they feel safe in school and parents and carers agree. Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe in a range of ways, for example they are well informed about the potential dangers of social networking sites.  Attendance and punctuality have improved markedly since the last inspection because leaders have put a range of successful and sustainable measures in place to encourage and promote this.

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The leadership and management are good

 Over the last few years, the way in which leaders promote high-quality teaching has become more robust. For example, last year external consultants worked with school leaders to complete a comprehensive audit; the findings of which informed the school’s improvement planning and fed into targets set for individual teachers. Using stringent criteria, this exercise doubled as a professional development opportunity for leaders in school as they could ratify their judgements against those of a third party.  Staff performance is managed well and opportunities for professional development are linked securely to the school’s priorities.  Leaders ensure that the school promotes spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. From exciting trips and visitors to lessons debating the moral value of fair trade, the curriculum offers plenty of avenues that broaden cultural horizons and encourage philosophical debate.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders respond thoughtfully to new initiatives, reflecting on whether changes to existing practices may be needed. For example, as a result of the introduction of the phonic screening check in Year 1, leaders have made changes to the way in which phonics will be taught in order to give every pupil the chance to learn in smaller, specifically targeted groups.  Middle leaders clearly identify the priorities in their area of responsibility and so contribute well to strategic planning. However, their use of data is too limited. Although they focus on overall impact, they do not track the effect of any changes they introduce robustly enough to help stamp out inconsistencies across year groups, or for particular individuals and groups of pupils. This level of data manipulation is currently the preserve of senior leaders and, as such, middle leaders’ contributions to strategic development are limited.

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The leadership and management are good

 All leaders, including governors, ensure that the school keeps pupils safe. Procedures for child protection and safeguarding are clearly communicated to all and recruitment practices conform to the highest standards.  The local authority provides light touch consultancy in the form of a linked professional partner who took part in a teaching audit earlier in the year. The school has also worked closely with the education welfare department in its successful drive to improve attendance.  The governance of the school:  Governors are not shy in challenging the school about pupils’ outcomes. For example, while scrutinising data, they noticed a discrepancy between the achievement of boys and that of girls and explored the reasons for this through focused questioning. This issue has subsequently been successfully addressed because the school is committed to equal opportunities. Leaders and governors now keep a close eye out for any gender imbalance

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The leadership and management are good

in order to be able to rectify it immediately.  Governors work hard in other ways at promoting equality of opportunity. For example, when organising events and meetings they take into account parents’ financial situations and working commitments, in order to offer a flexible menu of activities that will suit all. Thus, parental involvement in, and support of, the school is high.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupil’s needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupil’s needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school

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Grade Judgement Description

is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 100019 Local authority Camden Inspection number 402817

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 434 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Linda Davies Headteacher Karyn Ray Date of previous school inspection 21 November 2007 Telephone number 020 7431 0961 Fax number 020 7794 4643 Email address head@newend.camden.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', 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 .

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School details

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 and as part of the inspection.

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School details

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

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School details

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 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,

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School details

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’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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